Populism or Intellectualism: Anies Baswedan's Twitter Digital Political Campaign in the 2024 Indonesian Presidential Election

Abstract

This article investigates the formation of Anies Baswedan's intellectual populism during the 2024 Presidential Election campaign on the digital platform X (formerly Twitter). It dissects how intellectual discourse functions simultaneously as a form of public deliberation and as a populist tool for electoral mobilization. Positioned within Ernesto Laclau's theoretical framework of articulation, empty signifiers, hegemony, and antagonism, this study examines the paradox of the digital space—often imagined as open and democratic—becoming a hegemonic arena that constructs a binary between the "smart" and the "stupid." Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), this article analyzes textual patterns, discursive practices, and social practices across Anies' tweets, support networks, and public responses during the campaign. The findings reveal how Anies transformed intellectual capital into moral authority and consolidated it through digital branding, using hashtags such as #EkspedisiAMIN and #AMINAjaDulu. The study argues that populism is not fundamentally anti-intellectual, as suggested by previous studies. Instead, it demonstrates how intellectual narratives can be articulated as powerful instruments of political mobilization.