Main Article Content
Abstract
The idea of relocating Indonesia's capital city has been around for a long time because the burden of Jakarta is considered too heavy. The building of Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) is one of the national strategic projects that requires good cooperation and commitment between the government and the community. Government as the executor of the IKN building process needs to open up the space for participation and communication with the community. This study provides a perspective on how social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube become a space to discuss the build of IKN. The use of social media to escort the building of IKN aims to ensure that the building of IKN pays attention to environmental, social, and economic aspects. This research uses a qualitative description method with David Berlo's SMCR communication model. Posts about the IKN development process on various social media platforms within a certain period were analyzed based on elements in the SMCR theory. The results showed that social media became an effective control tool for the community to escort the building of IKN. Through social media, the public can monitor the building of IKN and convey their aspirations regarding the IKN building process. The use of social media to escort the government’s projects in this study is expected to fill the literature gap regarding the function of social media as a public communication tool. With effective collaboration and utilization of social media, the process to escort the building of IKN and other national strategic projects can be realized in an accountable, transparent, sustainable manner, and reflect the values of the nation, as well as realizing active community participation in Indonesia's development.