Digital transformation and viral justice: understanding sexual violence cases in indonesia's media ecosystem

Lentera Negeri September 20, 2026 Volume 7, Number 1 4 authors

Abstract

This article examines justice by viralism and trauma commodification in four viral sexual violence cases in Indonesia during 2026: verbal sexual harassment by 16 students of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia (FH UI); alleged child grooming by a vocational school principal in Pamulang; physical sexual harassment on a TransJakarta bus; and disclosure of alleged child grooming implicating a public figure. The study's urgency is grounded in data: Komnas Perempuan's 2025 Annual Report recorded 376,529 cases of gender-based violence against women, up 14.07% from 330,097 in 2024, with 337,961 cases (89.76%) in personal settings; Pusiknas Bareskrim Polri recorded 546 molestation reports in 1-22 January 2026, involving 553 victims, 75.04% students; and FSGI recorded 22 education-sector violence cases in Q1 2026, 91% sexual, with 83 victims. Using a critical case study approach grounded in public-document analysis, the article integrates Frankfurt School Critical Theory, Mosco's political economy of communication, Debord's spectacle theory, and Sara Mills' Critical Discourse Analysis, arguing the cases share a common structural root, digital patriarchy mediated by platform capitalism, manifesting differently by setting, power, and legal maturity. The article operationalizes a "critical-algorithmic public sphere" via four measurable indicators and proposes tripartite recommendations with success indicators, responsible parties, and timelines.

Authors

  1. Swastiningsih Swastiningsih

    Universitas Nasional Jakarta

  2. Davina Seikanadifa

    Universitas Nasional Jakarta

  3. Baby Ayu Rengganis Azzahra

    Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta

  4. Danny Boy Ilmi Shine’nullah

    Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember

Keywords

References

  1. No references are available for this article.