Digital heroism in Indonesian media: Cross-Cultural solidarity and viral narrative transformation

Abstract

This study analyzes digital heroism construction in the Indonesian media ecosystem through the viral phenomenon of Abdul Haris Agam (Agam Rinjani) based on real data crawling from mainstream media and social media platforms during June 21–30, 2025 and using a mixed-methods approach with content analysis of 18 articles from four major Indonesian media outlets and engagement data from Instagram @agam_rinjani, which experienced follower growth from 13,000 to 1.5 million within one week. Findings reveal a three-phase narrative transformation driven by sophisticated integration between professional journalism and citizen journalism, resulting in $1.5 million international donations from Brazilian netizens and a “vernacular digital heroism” model combining Indonesian cultural values with global platforms. This research contributes to understanding Indonesian journalism's evolution in the digital era by demonstrating how authentic storytelling can create unintended but significant soft power diplomatic outcomes.

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