New Media Role in Power Relation Shifting

Expansion of new media practices are contributes to spread out the more democratic character of its media system. Information distribution model is no always linear but rather dispersed. This allows every one produce massage, including critics to any group, even the ruling class. This article examines about new media, especially social media is used to take a part in shifting of power relation in Indonesia. This study focused on three areas, politics, religion, and economics. In those area, social media activism exceptionally high. Various issues in those fields often dominates message and information flows in new media. The study found that the role of new media manifested in various expressions of messages and information circulating on social media, such as the use of hashtags and memes. New media function is to collect a huge mass that could shift even take over of powers. The role of new media varies in those three areas. On the highest level there is a change in attitude and policies of the ruling class. However, at the lowest level, the new media is still only a channel to accommodated criticism of the ruling class.