Politics, economics, and identity: Mapping a virtual linguistics landscape in Indonesia

Jakarta’s Virtual Linguistic Landscape (VLL) offers a unique lens for examining the intersection of politics, economics, and identity in a multilingual, globalized urban setting. While most linguistic landscape studies focus on physical spaces, this research maps Jakarta’s VLL by analyzing language use in street, store, and restaurant names across five culturally and economically distinct districts: Glodok, Tanah Abang, Menteng, Thamrin-Sudirman, and Condet & Cipayung. Using virtual ethnography, data were collected from Google Maps, business directories, and online images, then analyzed through Thematic Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis. Findings show that Bahasa Indonesia dominates official toponymy due to state policy, while commercial actors strategically deploy English for global prestige, Mandarin and Arabic for ethnocultural identity, and Betawi dialect for local preservation. District-level variations reveal how language functions as both a political instrument and an economic commodity. The study concludes that Jakarta’s VLL reflects broader socio-political power structures, market-driven language commodification, and community identity negotiation, underscoring the need for inclusive language policies and further exploration of digital linguistic landscapes in Southeast Asia.