No Viral, No Justice: Arendt’s Critical Analysis of Spectacle Politics in Indonesian Democracy

Abstract

This article examines the “No Viral No Justice” phenomenon in Indonesia through Hannah Arendt’s political philosophy, focusing on vita activa, the public realm, power, and violence. It argues that social media viralization has eroded Arendtian politics by displacing genuine political action with reactive, spectacle-driven responses. Using a quali­ta­tive approach that combines critical philosophical and compa­rative methods, the study conducts a hermeneutic reading of Arendt’s texts alongside empirical cases of Indonesia’s digital democracy the findings reveal that the "No Viral No Justice" phenomenon reflects a crisis of institutional power, in which legal and governmental bodies act not on constitutional authority but in response to symbolic violence generated by viral public pressure. The findings reveal that the "No Viral No Justice" phenomenon reflects a crisis of institutional power, in which legal and governmental bodies act not on constitutional authority but in response to symbolic violence generated by viral public pressure. The study's novelty lies in linking Arendt's theory of the collapse of power into violence with contemporary law enforcement practices. Ultimately, political spectacle undermines pluralism, intensifies polarization, and weakens both deliberative democracy and public trust.