The Utilization of Facebook as a Social Media Platform to Counter the Propagation of Intolerant Values among Youth of Desa Ciasmara Bogor-West Java

Recent studies and surveys revealed that Bogor has ranked one of the most intolerant cities in Indonesia. Intolerant actions were reported to have been committed for the past few years. It relates to the bigger discourse on related issues in Indonesia. After the downfall of Soeharto’s New Order regime, the growth of radical ideologies is increasing and intolerant actions were reported to have been committed in many parts of the country. In the contemporary Indonesia, the advancement of information technology has enabled the propagation of intolerant values, specifically among youth. As an internet-based social media platform, facebook plays an important role in the circulation of intolerant values. This research will focus on how intolerance-related facebook contents shape intolerant attitudes of the youth in Desa Ciasmara, Bogor. This study also applies cultural studies perspective to critically unearth and highlight the complexities of intolerance and radicalism in Indonesia. The finding posits that the youth of Desa Ciasmara were less tolerant in terms of interacting with friends of different religion. The related contents that they access in facebook have influenced to shape their less intolerant attitudes, but at the same time this social media platform has the potential to counter-radicalize. This study also offers the possible strategies that can be developed to curb the growth intolerance and radicalism among the youth of Desa Ciasmara by using social media platform.