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Abstract
The wave of national demonstrations in August 2025 prompted the emergence of the symbolic digital campaign Brave Pink which spread widely on social media and gained widespread engagement among Generation Z. This study is based on the Uses and Effects theory which explains the relationship between digital media exposure, psychological responses, and the formation of political awareness. This study aims to analyze the influence of the Brave Pink campaign on the political awareness of Generation Z with Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) as a mediating variable. The study used a quantitative approach with a survey design of 396 followers of the Instagram account @barengwarga. Data analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling with the Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) approach. The results showed that the Brave Pink campaign had a significant effect on Fear of Missing Out (β = 0.910; p < 0.001) and a direct effect on political awareness (β = 0.622; p < 0.001). Fear of Missing Out also had a significant effect on political awareness (β = 0.370; p < 0.001) and acted as a partial mediator. The research model has very strong predictive power with an R² value of 0.943. This study provides a theoretical contribution by developing the Uses and Effects framework in the context of digital political communication, specifically through the integration of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) as a psychological mechanism that bridges the relationship between exposure to symbolic digital campaigns and the formation of political awareness. These findings broaden the understanding of the role of emotional factors in strengthening media effects on Generation Z audiences.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Fuad, David Rino Pratama, Yani Tri Wijayanti
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