Homeless Media As Informal Governance in Indonesia

Homeless Media As Informal Governance in Indonesia

1. Homeless Media as
Informal Governance
in Indonesia
Sri Hastjarjo
Universitas SebelasMaret, INDONESIA
Academic Workshop on Informality, Morality, and Governance
Bangkok, 9-11 October 2025

2. What will you do when
somebody steal your
mobilephone?

4. Conceptual Framework
Concept Key Idea Main Reference
Moral Economy
Reciprocity, fairness,
empathy
Thompson (1971),
Scott (1976),
Dourish & Satchell
(2011)
Infrapolitics
Subtle everyday
negotiation of power
Scott (1990)
Informal
Governance
Trust-based coordination
outside the state
Helmke & Levitsky
(2004)

8. 1. Responsiveness as Moral Legitimacy
Fast response builds moral trust.
“Verification later” culture reflects empathy, not negligence.
Time = currency of care
“When people send a report, we respond
first. Verification can come later.
What matters is that people feel heard.”
(Admin)
“This account always responds, they
really care.” (User)

9. 2. Reciprocity and Everyday Accountability
Followers Admins: shared responsibility.
Horizontal vigilance replaces vertical oversight.
Community corrects, praises, moralizes.
“If we become indifferent, our followers will move elsewhere.”
(Admin)
admin follower

10. 3. Blurring Legality and Governance
No license, yet perform public-service functions.
Officials monitor and respond to them.
Moral credibility pressures formal actors.
state citizen
homeless
media
“"If you want to know the real issue,
check the local accounts."
(Local Official)

11. 4. Durability and
Hybridization
Longevity (>10 years) across
platforms.
Partnerships with official
bodies.
Flexible layer in governance
ecosystem.

12. Final Thoughts
Rethink the meaning of media legitimacy and further understanding
of governance.
Citizens perform micro-acts of governance: reporting problems,
monitoring power, and enforcing communal norms.
Homeless media show us that authority can be generated from
below — through moral, rather than legal, legitimacy.
Challenge for scholar: to develop new framework beyond
formal/informal binaries.

13. THANK YOU
Sri Hastjarjo, Ph.D.
Doctorate Programe in Communication Science
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences
Universitas Sebelas Maret
Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A, Surakarta, Central Java, INDONESIA
[email protected]; https://fisip.uns.ac.id