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access to information, including political
information. For the net generation, politics is
considered to be too formal, and even some refuse to
participate or to talk about politics. Instagram can be
an alternative when providing education for the net
generation, by prompting them to speak up against
political activity. It can also be an open channel for
direct feedback between the government and youths.
Social media provides the flexibility to discuss
politics and other public issues because the users can
'meet' at any time and anywhere virtually. Research
has reported on the effects of a strong community
network and not a weak one, and state that it will
provide an association between online and offline
political participation.
The tendency of the net generation to use social
media can be utilised by related parties such as the
government, political figures and even political
parties to encourage them to interact with political
social media such as campaigning, introducing the
vision and mission of certain political figures,
submitting government programs and so on.
According to Rusadi Kantaprawira (2004: p.55),
political education is intended to increase the
knowledge of the listeners so then they participate
optimally in the political system. According to the
sovereignty of the people and of democracy, the
people must be able to carry out the task of
participation. Social media is seen of as a medium
that is easily accessible and cheap compared to
conventional media. Moreover, most users of social
media are of the net generation¸ as a group of novice
voters who need information in order to prompt their
own interest in politics as the successor of the nation's
leadership. With the existence of social media such as
Instagram, the net generation is able to get
information so then they are no longer apathetic to the
condition of the nation.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
One of the most dynamic cyberspace communities are
those where the actors are active in building
interactions and utilising networking in cyberspace.
This is often a group of urban teenagers, commonly
referred to as the net generation. The Net generation
is growing in the context of the acceleration of the
rapid development of indent technology. According
to William Strauss and Neil Howe in reference to
generation theory (Generation Theory), to date there
are five generations: the baby boomer generation
(born 1946-1964), generation X (born 1965-1980),
generation Y (born 1981-1994), Z generation (born
1995-2010) and the alpha generation (born in 2011-
2025). Generation Z is also called the iGeneration,
Generation Net or the Generation of the Internet that
is born from generation X and generation Y. The net
generation is a generation born and raised in the
digital era with a variety of complete and
sophisticated technology available to them, such as
computers / laptops, smartphones, the internet and
other electronic devices. Since childhood, they have
known (maybe even been introduced to) and become
familiar with a variety of sophisticated gadgets, either
directly or indirectly which then affects the
development of their behaviour and personality.
Don Tapscot, a digital media expert, has been
conducting research in several countries. He put
forward the characteristics of the net generation or Z
generation. They are a growing global generation
with access to the internet and social media.
Compared to the previous generation, they are
smarter, faster and more tolerant of diversity. In
everyday life, they need time to update their status,
and they need time for Assassin’s Creed. They blend
work, play and social interactions and often still live
at home. All work is done through smartphone
technology. They instinctively master smartphone
technology without needing to read the manual. They
prefer communications through the internet rather
than through the telephone, because with the internet,
they can multi-task. For them, smartphone
technology is like air and cannot be separated from
everyday life. They are also very concerned with the
environment and pay attention to issues of justice,
society and politics. They also like to volunteer. The
net generation has shaped new values, such as respect
for freedom, wanting customisation and being aware
of everything that happens in society. They, through
social media, also build relationships and collaborate
with fellow Net generation individuals. Nevertheless,
they have the character of upholding integrity, and
wanting to have fun during school and working. For
those with technology, speed is a normal thing, and
innovations are a fact of life.
Research on what individuals learn from political
communication shows that one's interest in a
particular topic will make a difference. W. Russell
Neuman, Marion Just and Andd Crigler found that
individuals who use technology will have better
information about the issues they care about
accessible in their daily lives. They are also able to
learn more about issues that they already know about.
Those interested in a particular topic will study the
topic and have a balanced cognition, more so than
those who are smarter but not interested in learning
about the topic. The purpose of political education for
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