Self-Presentation Through Visual Framing in Political Communication of Candidates in Elections on Social Media

Muhammad Fauzi Fitri Andika; Eriyanto Eriyanto; Kusariani Adinda Saraswati; Tutik Wijayanti

doi:10.14710/southsight.202529455

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/southsight.202529455

Self-Presentation Through Visual Framing in Political Communication of Candidates in Elections on Social Media

*Muhammad Fauzi Fitri Andika - Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

Eriyanto Eriyanto - Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

Kusariani Adinda Saraswati - Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

Tutik Wijayanti - Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia

Received: 18 Sep 2025; Revised: 22 Oct 2025; Accepted: 23 Oct 2025; Published: 30 Oct 2025.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

BibTex Citation Data :

@article{Southsight29455,
    author = {Muhammad Andika and Eriyanto Eriyanto and Kusariani Saraswati and Tutik Wijayanti},
    title = {Self-Presentation Through Visual Framing in Political Communication of Candidates in Elections on Social Media},
    journal = {South Sight: Journal of Media and Society Inquiry},
  volume = {1},
    number = {2},
    year = {2025},
    keywords = {Visual framing; Self-Presentation; Military Politicians; The Ideal Candidate; The Populist Campaigner},
    abstract = { The military and civilian positions in Indonesia have strict limits, where military members who enter the realm of government must renounce their military titles. This phenomenon occurred in several figures, including Prabowo Subianto, Andika Perkasa, and Sturman Panjaitan. This study aims to analyze the visual communication strategies employed by the three candidates in constructing their self-presentation and visual framing through Instagram. With a quantitative approach through visual content analysis, this study identifies characterization patterns that emerge as both The Ideal Candidate and The Populist Campaigner. The findings show that Prabowo Subianto, as a candidate for head of state, highlights the character of The Ideal Candidate by creating the impression of a leader who is firm, strong, visionary, and has a broad reach. Andika Perkasa, as a candidate for regional head, displays the character of The Populist Campaigner with a relaxed and simple image, creating the impression of a leader who is close to the people and does not distance the community. Sturman Panjaitan, as a candidate for legislative member, more closely displays the character of the Ideal Candidate by conveying an impression of authority and formality. This research also demonstrates that in visual communication strategies, the role of position influences the construction of self-presentation in relation to different responsibilities, authority, and reach. Thus, visual framing is a crucial tool in the political communication strategy of candidates with a military background in the civilian realm. },
   issn = {3109-8460},   pages = {63--74}  doi = {10.14710/southsight.202529455},
    url = {https://ejournal2.undip.ac.id/index.php/southsight/article/view/29455}
}

Citation Format:

Abstract

The military and civilian positions in Indonesia have strict limits, where military members who enter the realm of government must renounce their military titles. This phenomenon occurred in several figures, including Prabowo Subianto, Andika Perkasa, and Sturman Panjaitan. This study aims to analyze the visual communication strategies employed by the three candidates in constructing their self-presentation and visual framing through Instagram. With a quantitative approach through visual content analysis, this study identifies characterization patterns that emerge as both The Ideal Candidate and The Populist Campaigner. The findings show that Prabowo Subianto, as a candidate for head of state, highlights the character of The Ideal Candidate by creating the impression of a leader who is firm, strong, visionary, and has a broad reach. Andika Perkasa, as a candidate for regional head, displays the character of The Populist Campaigner with a relaxed and simple image, creating the impression of a leader who is close to the people and does not distance the community. Sturman Panjaitan, as a candidate for legislative member, more closely displays the character of the Ideal Candidate by conveying an impression of authority and formality. This research also demonstrates that in visual communication strategies, the role of position influences the construction of self-presentation in relation to different responsibilities, authority, and reach. Thus, visual framing is a crucial tool in the political communication strategy of candidates with a military background in the civilian realm.

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Keywords: Visual framing; Self-Presentation; Military Politicians; The Ideal Candidate; The Populist Campaigner

Funding: Universitas Indonesia

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Article Info

Section: Research Article

Language : EN

In Vol 1, No 2 (2025): October 2025 (In Progress)

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