KPK and Taliban: Cyber Troops and the Social Media Influence Operation to Weaken Indonesia's Anti-corruption Body

Abstract: This article examines how public opinion manipulation translates into real-world impact by analyzing the organization, nature and effects of an influence operation aimed at weakening Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Using a combination of interviews with cyber troopers and journalists, social network analysis of online debates, and content analysis of the coverage of the mainstream media, we demonstrate how cyber troops successfully influenced media reporting and shifted public opinion. We attribute this success to three key factors: a. the success of the cyber troops in in using sheer volume to drown out alternative views resulting in tsunami of propaganda to support the revision; b. the collaboration and willingness of the mainstream media to amplify cyber troop campaigns by taking up their narratives; c. the success of the cyber troops to create a narrative which resonates to deep stories containing fears and anxieties of Indonesian middle class about Islamic radicalization.