Tradition in the Age of Virality: Who Owns Indonesian Culture When Algorithms Decide What Gets Seen?

Abstract

The expansion of social media has transformed how Indonesian cultural practices are represented, circulated, and commercialized across national and international audiences. Traditional performances, local knowledge, artistic expressions, and community-based heritage can gain unprecedented visibility through digital platforms, yet this visibility also raises questions about cultural ownership, representational authority, and the distribution of economic benefits. This study proposes to investigate how algorithmic visibility and platform-based commercialization reshape the relationships between cultural communities, digital creators, commercial intermediaries, and audiences. Using a qualitative multi-case study, the research would examine selected Indonesian cultural expressions circulating on major social media platforms. Data collection would combine digital ethnography, critical discourse analysis of selected posts and videos, interviews with cultural practitioners and content creators, and analysis of relevant cultural heritage and intellectual property policies. The theoretical framework integrates cultural political economy, digital anthropology, and debates on cultural appropriation and heritage governance. The analysis would examine who is authorized to represent cultural traditions, how authenticity is negotiated in viral content, and whether the benefits of digital exposure reach the communities associated with the practices being circulated. By connecting local cultural politics with global platform infrastructures, the study seeks to contribute to international debates on digital cultural heritage and the unequal governance of online visibility. Its implications concern culturally responsive digital policy, community participation, and mechanisms for protecting collective cultural interests in the platform economy.