Knowledge Mobilization of Anti-vaccine Movement in Social Media

Abstract

This study observes social movement in digitalized world along with its role in public policy process. It is especially on how the social movement has access as well as spread and was formed the knowledge in the digitalized world. This study is essential to be further explored in order to enrich the theories of governance and public policies in the digital era. The case to be studied here is anti-vaccine movement in Facebook which has developed in the digitalized world in the context of socio-politics of the Indonesian people in 2018-2019 and using a Content Analysis as method. This study result is that the Anti-vaccine Movement in Indonesia rejected the vaccine program by attacking knowledge hegemony created by medical institutions and government. It has formed a new knowledge by issuing a counter discourse toward the medical discourse. The argument centered on moral anger and structural repression by government agencies, worldwide institutions, pharmacy industries and media and shows the strong logic based on the religious believe idea. This fact shows that the social media plays a role in spreading the ideas of anti-vaccine and gives a way for the movement to develop and to have a strong network which is dynamic and can survive for a long period of time. By mobilizing knowledge through a social movement in the digitalized world, the anti-vaccine movement in Indonesia has a wider network and has a potential to influence the successful of the government program.