The Research Week 2026 series organized by the Media and Cultural Studies (KBM) Program at Universitas Gadjah Mada continued on its second day on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, from 13:00 to 15:00 WIB. This session carried the theme “Navigating the Traps of Platformed Democracy,” inviting participants to take a closer look at the relationship between digital democracy, social media algorithms, and changing economic practices within the platform ecosystem. The discussion was moderated by Rana Akbari, who facilitated an open and dialogic conversation. The two speakers in this session were Epifani Putri Pitaloka and Rizky Indra Dewangga, who presented their research on the relationship between digital technology, public participation, and platform-based economic dynamics.
In the first session, Epifani Putri Pitaloka, M.A. presented a study titled “Democratizing Algorithms? Exploring Imagined Communities in Social Media Polling Features and Blockchain-Based Voting Platforms.” In her presentation, Epifani discussed how polling features on social media and blockchain-based voting systems are often viewed as innovations capable of expanding public participation in democratic processes. However, she also demonstrated that these processes are not entirely neutral, as they remain influenced by algorithmic structures and platform designs that shape how public opinion emerges and circulates. By employing the concept of imagined communities, the research highlights how digital technologies can create the impression of broad collective participation while simultaneously raising important questions about algorithmic transparency and how power is distributed within digital platform ecosystems.
The second session featured Rizky Indra Dewangga, M.A. with a presentation titled “From the Dining Table to the Facebook Timeline: Deep Mediatization in the Practice of Buying and Selling Food through ShopeeFood and the Resistance of ‘Partners.’” In his presentation, Angga explained how food trade practices that once took place face-to-face are increasingly mediated by digital platforms. Through a study of the use of ShopeeFood and interactions occurring on Facebook, the research demonstrates how the phenomenon of deep mediatization affects the relationships between sellers, consumers, and platform companies. The study also highlights the dynamics of power relations within the platform economy, particularly how driver-partners and small business actors respond to platform policies through various forms of negotiation and adaptive strategies that emerge in digital spaces.
The second day’s discussion was lively, featuring numerous questions and responses from participants. The conversation developed around the relationship between algorithmic technologies, digital democracy, and everyday economic practices. Participants also emphasized that digital platforms today function not only as communication tools but also as crucial infrastructures that influence political practices, economic activities, and social life. Through these two presentations, Research Week Day 2 opened a space for reflection on how contemporary society increasingly lives within a platformed society, where algorithms, data, and digital technologies play a major role in shaping how people participate, interact, and engage in economic activities. The session also reinforced the goal of Research Week 2026 as a platform for sharing ideas and academic discussion that encourages interdisciplinary dialogue in understanding various social transformations in the digital era.
The discussion can be rewatched on the KBM YouTube channel at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3233F4TnQo
Contributor: Averoes Fitria Maryam