Sejak diluncurkan ke publik Indonesia, internet terus mengalami perkembangan yang signifikan dalam konteks penggunaannya mulai dari sistem komunikasi satu arah melalui Web 1.0 hingga sistem komunikasi interaktif yang dimediasi oleh Web 2.0 (media sosial). Media sosial tidak hanya berfungsi sebagai instrumen penunjang komunikasi, membangun relasi sosial, ataupun membentuk komunitas, namun juga sudah menjadi sumber pengetahuan dan ruang publik bagi terciptanya pertukaran dan pertarungan wacana politik yang demokratis dan partisipatif. Berfokus pada pendekatan kualitatif dengan menggunakan teori uses and gratifications, studi ini ingin meneliti dalam konteks akses informasi politik dimana sebuah studi mengungkapkan 4 (empat) motif utama untuk terkoneksi ke politik online: pengawasan, panduan, hiburan, dan manfaat sosial. Dengan melakukan survey terhadap 125 anak muda Tionghoa Kota Singkawang, penelitian ini mendapati bahwa motif manfaat sosial adalah motif yang paling berpengaruh terhadap penggunaan media sosial untuk informasi politik oleh anak muda Tionghoa Kota Singkawang dibandingkan dengan motif pengawasan, panduan, dan motif hiburan.

Using a communication mediation model, the present study tested the influencing factor of social media utilization on the political engagement on social media. Through O-S-O-R model proposed by McLeod, Kosicki, and McLeod, this study tested the correlation between pre-exposure (motivation) – Stimulus (media social use) – post-exposure orientation (political efficacy) – Response (political engagement) in the context of Chinese youth of Singkawang. By analyzing the Pearson correlation and linear regression of 125 respondents collected through a questionnaire, this model resulted in several findings, for example, motivation had a relationship with the use of social media for political information purposes where social utility motives had a more significant effect than other motives. The use of political information media had an influence on an individual's internal and collective efficacy rather than external efficacy. Political efficacy generated by the use of social media had an influence on the political engagement of Singkawang Chinese youth even though external efficacy was deemed a negative predictor of political engagement.

Communication research has examined the relationship and influence of news exposure on political attitudes and behavior. From the perspective of the democratic process, an important question in this research is related to the extent to which information exposure regarding the handling of the COVID-19 virus outbreak affects public trust in the government and its political institutions. In particular, the purpose of this research is to examine the extent to which exposure to information about the COVID-19 pandemic affects public perceptions and political beliefs in one of the areas that has the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia and holds regional head elections in the midst of a pandemic. In addition, this study also examines whether there is a relationship between the perceived threat of being exposed to the virus and political trust with the level of electoral participation in the midst of a pandemic. This research method uses a quantitative approach with the selected location is Surakarta, Central Java. Data were collected through online questionnaires and offline questionnaires to people who have a Surakarta KTP and are included in the Voters List in the 2021 regional head election. The sampling used is non-probability sampling so that the results of this study do not intend to produce findings that will generalize to the entire population but only a theoretical test. By conducting a survey of 211 respondents, this study found several findings. First, even in the midst of a health crisis due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, the level of public participation in the 2020 Pilkada tends to be high. Second, political trust influenced by media coverage has a positive correlation with the high level of public participation in the Regional Head Election in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.