Social Network Analysis: Political Elite Actors #DemokratLawanBegal on Twitter

The news coverage of the feud between elite politic actors, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) and Moeldoko concerning the legitimacy of democratic party leadership has become a prominent trending topic on Twitter. This research explores the impact of the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag on Twitter, focusing on its role in shaping political discourse and influencing party leaders’ alignment. It aims to uncover relationships among elite actors and identify influential figures within the Twitter network using this hashtag. Drawing on concepts like political communication on Twitter, political elites, and Social Network Analysis (SNA), the study adopts SNA methodologies with tools like Netlytic and Gephi Apps. ata collection was conducted during 3-10 April, 2023 to maintain the time relevance of the high public response to the feud through hastags. The findings of this study highlight the significant impact of the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal in shaping political discourse and power struggles within the Democratic Party. Democratic Party Chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) emerged as a more influential figure in the Democratic Party than Moeldoko, who is still serving as the Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP), and Twitter, particularly through this hashtag, plays a central role in political communication and framing strategies. Social Network Analysis reveals a closely interconnected network of actors, with the official Democratic Party account (@pdemokrat) central to information dissemination. Some actors facilitate swift information sharing (closeness centrality), while others serve as key connectors (betweenness centrality). These insights deepen our understanding of contemporary political communication dynamics, offering implications for political campaigns, policy advocacy, and digital strategies.


INTRODUCTION
The dominance of power in the political world can lead to conflicts that result in disharmony among leaders or politicians.This competition or debate not only occurs within internal issues but also opens up avenues for public interaction, especially when conveyed through social media, such as Twitter.Political leaders, in particular, use the Twitter social network as a powerful channel to highlight their profiles and to demonstrate a more authoritative side in politics (Karlsen & Enjolras, 2016).Politicians and parties find ways to approach their followers and assess their opinions and comments more directly.These advantages an increasing number of political actors incorporate digital media into their communication strategies to establish a more natural approach by publishing personal content of political actors or parties and mobilizing party members and sympathizers (Lilleker et al., 2015).Finally, Twitter is widely utilized by party users on their social media accounts to engage in political discourse (Medina Serrano et al., 2020).
Given the substantial proliferation of social media platforms, particularly Twitter, there has been a discernible upswing in their application within the political sphere in recent times.This surge in usage encompasses a diverse range of participants, encompassing not only ordinary citizens but also political institutions and actors such as politicians, political parties, political foundations, and think tanks.It is imperative, from the perspective of political institutions, to engage actively in political communication facilitated by the utilization of social media (Stieglitz, S, et al., 2013).Political communication is commonly defined as a series of actions aimed at the public with political and civic objectives in mind.Typically, the political elite or another political actor including government officials carry out this form of communication in an organized manner to disseminate information, clarify and advocate for public policies, establish a positive image, nurture social connections, and achieve various related goals.It aims to enhance the efficiency of campaigning techniques, enhance the management of interactions between media and politics, and intensify centralization in overseeing publicity efforts (Johansson, 2019).
Amidst this burgeoning role of social media in politics, it is important to recognize that the digital realm has not only reshaped the way political leaders communicate but has also fundamentally altered the strategies and dynamics of political engagement.As political actors particularly in this context, Political elite increasingly embrace these digital platforms, they find themselves grappling with a new set of challenges and opportunities that extend well beyond conventional forms of political discourse.A political elite comprises individuals, corporations, political entities such as parties, and various civil society organizations collectively responsible for the administration and coordination of governmental activities, as well as all facets of political authority.These elites can be defined as individuals who, due to their strategically significant positions within substantial organizations and influential movements, possess the capacity to consistently and significantly influence political results (Vergara, 2013) In this evolving landscape of political dynamics, a significant issue has taken center stage -the leadership dispute within the Democratic Party between Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Moeldoko.This leadership dispute represents a noteworthy intersection of traditional and digital politics.While the influence of social media on political discourse is growing, it is also influencing power struggles within political parties.The rivalry between Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Moeldoko within the Democratic Party showcases how even established political elites are navigating the digital age to assert their authority and gain popular support.This case illustrates that the impact of social media on political dynamics extends beyond the broader political landscape to shape internal party This case represents a new chapter in the Democratic Party's coup, led by KSP Moeldoko, after 16 failed attempts to take over the leadership of the Democratic Party were rejected by the Supreme Court (MA) and consistently won by the Democratic Party.As reported by CNN.com, AHY stated that Moeldoko and his associates dared to attempt to seize power in the Democratic Party again after the Extraordinary Congress (KLB) held in Deli Serdang in 2021.AHY explained that the recent submission (PK) made by Moeldoko had been decided upon and rejected with Case Number 487 K/TUN/2022 on September 29, 2022.
However, the latest recent submission was resubmitted by Moeldoko on March 3, 2023.This was precisely one day after the Democratic Party officially selected Anies Baswedan as their presidential candidate.Moeldoko justified the dissolution of the Party Congress by citing four new decisions or pieces of evidence from Moeldoko's previous trial regarding the approval of changes in the governance structure of the Democratic Party's Central Executive Board (DPP) for the 2020-2025 period and the approval of Democratic Party regulations or Bylaws (AD/ART).
The feud between Moeldoko and AHY has become a prominent topic of public discussion, including online on the social media platform Twitter, eliciting public responses with hastag #DemokratLawanBegal.The case with the hastag #DemokratLawanBegal has been a trending topic on Twitter since April 3, 2023, when AHY, representing the Democratic Party, announced to the public that the Democratic Party is prepared to confront Moeldoko by submitting a countermemory or response to the Administrative Court (PTUN) through legal advisor Hamdan Zoelva (Figure .1).AHY's tweet in response to the takeover attempt became the most popular tweet during the monitoring period.The tweet from the Chairman of the Democratic Party garnered 835 comments, 5,814 likes, and 1,426 retweets, making it the most popular tweet discussing the topic The feud between Moeldoko and AHY.
Through the hastag #DemokratLawanBegal the Democratic Party, under the leadership of AHY, aims to encourage the public to also monitor the process of Moeldoko's resubmission, which is perceived as a continued attempt to take control of the democratic party.The feud between Moeldoko and AHY, generating significant public interest and discussions on Twitter through the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal, exemplifies how social network analysis (SNA) is being increasingly utilized to study the intricate dynamics of political conflicts and public sentiment, as demonstrated by previous research examining various social and political issues on Twitter.Previous researchers have conducted studies on how social network analysis (SNA) is used as a method to understand the mapping of patterns and relationships surrounding an issue on Twitter.Research results analyzing more than two million tweets on the Twitter platform provide insights into how people discuss social issues, such as politics (Weij & Berkers, 2022).Political communication on Twitter is widely utilized by political elites.during campaigns to garner political support.There are Social Network Analysis (SNA) studies that analyze political framing patterns on Twitter, emphasizing the formation and dissemination of political messages ,mapping political polarization (Jost et al., 2018), discourse analysis to study connection patterns and their influence and sentiment analysis to examine the dynamics of social networks and interaction patterns influencing public movements and preferences (Primario et al., 2017) Furthermore, several other social network studies have identified patterns of relationships among political elites.Keller (2016) examined the types of ties driving patronage networks among officials of the Chinese Communist Party and found that peer relationships played a much more significant role than alumni relationships or shared provincial origins (Keller, 2016).Woldense (2017) analyzed a network where elites were not nodes but their connections were.Woldense studied how the Ethiopian emperor moved his officials between different positions in the bureaucracy to prevent the emergence of potentially threatening groups.Based on previous studies, SNA provides the capability to uncover groups and divisions and analyze the social structures created by their interactions (Woldense, 2017).
Previous research has predominantly used SNA to understand the mapping of network patterns of political messages related to presidential electability and focused on the structural interaction relationships among elite officials and affiliates.In this study, we extend the application of SNA beyond the conventional scope of mapping network patterns related to the topics.Instead, we focus on utilizing SNA to identify actors with significant influence or dominant roles within the network interaction patterns of political elites, particularly in the context of the power struggle within specific political parties on Twitter.Building upon previous research that has predominantly centered on structural interaction relationships among elite officials and affiliates, our approach delves deeper into the dynamics of political conflicts and the role of key players in shaping public discourse especially for the feud between Moeldoko and AHY Topics.
The behaviour of various political actors plays a pivotal role in shaping political communication and discourse on social media platforms.Politicians, partisans, and the general public engage in constant interactions, resulting in complex communication patterns (Medina Serrano et al., 2020).Online social media platforms facilitate continuous interactions among politicians, participants, and the public, giving rise to intricate communication patterns.The algorithms governing these platforms influence political actors in ways that contribute to the formation of a potentially challenging political landscape (Medina Serrano et al., 2020).
Numerous studies have investigated how politicians utilize social media for political purposes.Research by Dang-Xuan et al. (2013) has demonstrated that the sentiment of political tweets, both in terms of emotional content and evaluations, influences retweet behaviour, a primary feature for disseminating information on Twitter.This is particularly true for political communications deemed controversial.
Twitter has become a new tool for promoting personalization in politics.This strategy has proven to be a practical means of capturing more user attention and humanizing and strengthening personal relationships with other social actors (Bentivegna, S. & Marchetti, R., 2015).Previous research has indicated that the strategies of Spanish political parties and leaders on Twitter are primarily based on using this social network as another way to disseminate their messages, with much of the content centered on self-promotion (Alonso Munoz, 2016).
Social media platforms like Twitter have become spaces of communication that enable ordinary members of society to engage in politics through political discussions, including sharing ideas, statements, news, and reactions from other users on a daily basis (Vromen et al., 2015).Therefore, the content on social media platforms elucidates how people discuss political issues.By observing public attention on Twitter, we can assess the extent and nature of political discourse networks.Regardless of the media platform, whether politicians, celebrities, or corporations, a significant portion of Twitter users consists of ordinary people, most of whom are under 30 years old and come from densely populated areas (Sloan et al., 2017).
In the context of the ongoing The feud between AHY and Moeldoko, the role of social media, particularly Twitter, in shaping public perception and influencing the discourse cannot be overstated.Both political elites have leveraged this platform to not only communicate their positions but also to garner support and mobilize their respective followers.The dynamics of this political feud, as played out on Twitter, provide a compelling case study for understanding how social media interactions can impact the narratives surrounding leadership conflicts within political parties.This study seeks to delve deeper into the intricacies of these interactions and their implications for the broader political landscape, shedding light on how the behaviours of political actors on social media can significantly shape the course of political discourse, particularly during times of internal power struggles.
By delving into the dynamics of interactions between political elites on Twitter, this study contributes to our understanding of how social media platforms influence the narratives surrounding such conflicts and their broader implications for the political landscape.Additionally, it sheds light on the strategies employed by political actors to leverage media twitter for communication, mobilization, and support gathering, highlighting the increasing importance of digital platforms in contemporary political communication.Understanding these dynamics is crucial for comprehending the evolving nature of political discourse and its impact on public opinion and decision-making processes.
The literature conceptualizes "elites" as something categorized by their occupational, compositional, and cognitive approaches.In the model of political elite occupations, this conceptualization views elites as actors whose institutional roles grant them a higher level of influence over public policy: prime ministers, legislators, civil servants, bureaucrats, diplomats, politicians, military officers, and so forth (Bussell, J., 2020).The cognitive perspective highlights the degree to which elites possess a unique set of cognitive characteristics, often defined as specialized knowledge or extensive experience in a specific domain (Saunders, 2017).
Political elites who hold high positions, set the rules, or have a significant impact on decisions that have national implications are considered members of the political elite.Elite behaviour has been the main subject of analysis regarding who controls the policy of transition: "Transitions" are portrayed as the results of agreements reached between elite actors (Lane, David, 2011).Political elites are seen as power-holders within a political body.In this view, elites not only possess unique attributes but also hold specific positional roles (Kertzer, J. D & Renshon, J., 2022).
In the context of the leadership struggle within the Democratic Party between Moeldoko and AHY, the notion of "political elites" takes on particular significance.Both Moeldoko and AHY can be considered political elites within their respective spheres, each vying for dominance and influence within the party.This power struggle exemplifies how the conceptualization of political elites, based on their roles and positions, becomes crucial in understanding the dynamics of party politics and leadership contests, especially in the era of digital communication where their interactions on platforms like Twitter shape public perceptions and narratives.By analyzing the behaviors and strategies employed by these political elites on social media, we can gain insights into their efforts to consolidate power and influence public discourse, shedding light on the evolving landscape of political engagement in the digital age.

METHODOLOGY
This research employs the Social Network Analysis (SNA) method.When social network analysts refer to a network, they are referring to data in a specific format: a collection of data that describes the characteristics of actors and another dataset that depicts the relationships among these actors.The units in the first dataset (nodelist) are the actors or nodes, which can be individuals, social groups, organizations, or countries.The second dataset describes the relationships, ties (edges) between nodes.In simple terms, SNA consists of two main components: nodes or actors and edges, which interconnect and create a node (Borgatti, Stephen P & Martin G Everett, 2018).Relationships in social network analysis refer to social connections between nodes.Actors (nodes) are individuals or entities that are members of the network, and relationships (edges) are the connections that exist between one actor and another.Centrality measures in Social Network Analysis (SNA) determine the actors who play the most significant roles in the social network, indicating the level of individual centrality (Elmezain et al. 2021).The aim of visualization is to attempt to present precise information based on the dominant actors who influence.Data collected from the Twitter social media network as of April 3 rd to April 10 th 2023 will be used as the dataset.
These dates were determined based on crucial dates surrounding the issue.Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) through the party's general activity speech invited the public to monitor the attempt to seize power of the Democratic Party by the Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP), Moeldoko, and the high initial response of the public directly online to the case of this feud.
In light of the ongoing power struggle between Moeldoko and AHY within the Democratic Party, this study leverages Social Network Analysis (SNA) tools to identify central actors and evaluate their influence within the network of the political hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal on Twitter.The research employs netlytic.orgfor data collection and utilizes Gephi 1.0 for data analysis.By scrutinizing the interconnections among actors or nodes in this online discourse, Social Network Analysis (SNA) serves as a valuable approach to ascertaining the significance or predominance of these actors or nodes within the network and, implicitly, seeks to answer the pivotal research question: How effectively can Social Network Analysis (SNA) be deployed to pinpoint central actors and gauge their impact within the network revolving around the political hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal on Twitter, especially within the context of the Democratic Party.
The design in this study is descriptive in nature, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of the dynamics surrounding the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag on Twitter.The Democratic Party was chosen as the object of research because it has been one of the biggest and prominent political parties in Indonesia, and the power struggle within the party has garnered significant public attention.Then, the population in this study consists of netizens from Twitter who have actively engaged with the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag, including those who have posted tweets, retweeted, or commented on related discussions during the specified monitoring period.
The dataset related to the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag is acquired using specialized software during the data collection process.Data crawling is a data collection method used in social networking research that involves extracting all tweets, responses, retweets, and mentions associated with specific keywords.(Srinanda et al., 2020).It's worth noting that the Netlytic crawling tool version used in this study has limitations, as it only allows access to 814 tweets.From April 3rd to April 10th, 2023, data will be collected for seven days.This timeframe was chosen because it corresponds to the peak period of online discussions about the Democratic Party's political power struggle and the use of the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal.
Following the data collection phase, the subsequent step involves conducting measurements on two communication networks: the named network and the chain network.The analysis is carried out at both micro and macro levels.At the micro level, phenomena are examined from the perspective of individual actors by calculating their degree of centrality, which indicates their level of popularity within a communication network.The in-degree, which represents the number of relationships directed toward an actor, serves as an indicator of their popularity.Conversely, the out-degree signifies the number of relationships initiated by actors towards other actors.
Meanwhile, the analysis at the macro level takes a broader perspective, taking into account the overall structure and patterns of interactions within the entire network.It seeks to identify emergent properties and key features that characterize the communication dynamics surrounding the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal.This dual-level analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of how the popularity and interactions of individual actors contribute to the larger network's dynamics, shedding light on the overarching trends and influential nodes within the Twitter discourse related to this political issue (Gruzd et al., 2016).

RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The news coverage of the feud between AHY and Moeldoko regarding the legitimacy of party leadership has become a prominent trending topic on Twitter.Based on the research findings, political elites have been attempting to vie for leadership control within the Democratic Party.AHY, as the current leader of the Democratic Party, has been utilizing Twitter as a platform to showcase his leadership authority.AHY has been guiding his followers through opinions voiced using #DemokratLawanBegal, and he has emerged as the most influential actor in expanding this political hashtag.AHY's role as a political elite actor has become more powerful compared to Moeldoko, another political elite actor.In addition, the official Twitter account of the Democratic Party @pdemokrat has also actively contributed to the ongoing discourse surrounding the leadership legitimacy dispute between AHY and Moeldoko.This account has played a pivotal role in bolstering AHY's leadership by utilizing the Twitter platform (Figure 2).Furthermore, the use of this hashtag can also be seen as an attempt to establish framing.In Political Communication, framing can be understood as a perspective or journalistic angle or elite perspective that highlights one aspect of a political issue over others (Lecheler, 2019).AHY is depicted as the sole leader with the ability and vision to lead the party, while Moeldoko is portrayed as a figure who "plunders" or harms the party.The choice of the term of begal "bandits" to describe Moeldoko is an example of a strong framing, as it carries negative connotations and damages his image.
Moeldoko, who currently holds the position of Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, is seen as having a desire to become a political elite within the Democratic Party.However, Moeldoko may face challenges in building support among party members and the party's base.Despite receiving support from some internal factions of the Democratic Party, which has led to two factions, namely Moeldoko's camp and AHY's camp, Moeldoko's political communication efforts to attain a position as a political elite within the Democratic Party have not yet appeared to be widespread, especially on the Twitter platform.
Based on the data collected through application netlytic.org,336 datasets have been gathered.The obtained data includes user accounts, tweets, retweets, mentions, replies, as well as dates and times with the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal.The writer's account status is a node within each tweet, retweet, mention, and reply, serving as a relationship for each node containing 814 tweets with the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal.Referring to the analysis results, this type of relationship can involve two nodes.A two-node network is a network with actors or nodes of different types or belonging to different account types.In a two-node network, not only individuals but also formal or official institutions are included in the network (Bakry & Kusmayadi, 2021).This analysis encompasses actors, in this case, both active individuals and actors sourced from the official social media accounts of an institution, institution, or body, in this case, such as the official Democratic Party account @pdemokrat.

Relationship Types
In this social network analysis, there are two nodes interconnected, namely the official Democratic Party account @pdemokrat and the account @ajengcute_16, which is an individual figure associated with the Democratic Party.This relationship reflects a two-node network in which one type of actor is a formal institution, the Democratic Party, while the other type of actor is an individual who supports or is associated with the Democratic Party.The @pdemokrat account can be considered the official representation of the Democratic Party in the world of social media.This relationship may reflect the Democratic Party's efforts to interact with its follower base and convey political messages and information to the public through social media.
platforms.On the other hand, the @ajengcute_16 account, which is an individual figure associated with the Democratic Party, may have a role as a party member or active sympathizer in supporting the Democratic Party on social media.The relationship between the @ajengcute16 account and the official party account may reflect this individual's support and interaction in supporting the campaigns and messages of the Democratic Party.Through the analysis of this two-node relationship type, we can understand that in the social network related to the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal, the Democratic Party as an institutional entity and individuals actively supporting it interact with each other, forming a network that may have a significant influence in the political and social context.
On the other hand, the @ajengcute16 account, which is an individual figure associated with the Democratic Party, may have a role as a party member or active sympathizer in supporting the Democratic Party on social media.The relationship between the @ajengcute_16 account and the official party account may reflect this individual's support and interaction in supporting the campaigns and messages of the Democratic Party.
Through the analysis of this two-node relationship type, we can understand that in the social network related to the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal, the Democratic Party as an institutional entity and individuals actively supporting it interact with each other, forming a network that may have a significant influence in the political and social context.There are two types of network relationships, direct and indirect.Direct relationships involve actors who act as information senders and receivers, while indirect relationships involve two actors with similar roles (Bakry & Kusmayadi, 2021).The findings in this analysis show that the network interaction pattern is direct or one-way, where the network pattern includes actors who act as information senders, while receivers of information are located around them.The data presented in Table 1 represents the top 10 actors with the highest degree centrality values.Degree centrality shows the connections of hashtags or users.In this network, hashtags have the highest degree centrality.This occurrence is possible because the linking of hashtags can take place within a single post, leading to the tendency of individuals or users to incorporate multiple hashtags in a single Twitter post (Priadana, A. et al., 2021).The @pdemokrat account stands out as the main and most dominant actor with a degree centrality value of 167 and an In-Degree of 166.This value demonstrates that the @pdemokrat account has 167 connections with other accounts and is frequently retweeted, replied to, and mentioned.Additionally, the highest out-degree values are obtained by @muhammadroupp, @bakomstrapd, @sartonohutomo, @ajengcute_16, and @panca66.These accounts are the most active in replying, mentioning, and retweeting other accounts.

Network Relationship
This table provides an interesting overview of the network structure in the context of the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag.The most striking finding is the dominance of the official Partai Demokrat (@pdemokrat) account as the main actor with a very high degree centrality value of 167 and an In-Degree of 166.This high In-Degree value indicates that the @pdemokrat account is frequently retweeted, replied to, and mentioned by other actors in the network.This suggests that the official democrat party account has significant influence in spreading messages and information related to the hashtag.They likely play a central role in directing conversations and conveying political messages to the public.
In addition to the @pdemokrat account, another important finding is the group of accounts with the highest out-degree values, such as @muhammadroupp, @bakomstrapd, @sartonohutomo, @ajengcute_16, and @panca66.These actors are the most active in replying, mentioning, and retweeting other accounts in the network.This indicates that they have an important role in amplifying messages disseminated by other accounts in the network.This group likely consists of active contributors either in support of or criticism of democrat party in the context of the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag and can be considered key actors in this network.

Source: Netlytic (2023)
Overall, this social network analysis reveals that the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag creates a focused network with relatively centralized influence on the official democrat party account.However, it also involves individual actors who play significant roles in expanding the reach of political messages.These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamics of social networks in the context of politics and public discourse.The data presented in Table 2 provides an overview of the #DemokratLawanBegal network, revealing that certain actors within the network possess a closeness centrality score of 1.0.Closeness centrality is a metric used to identify influential accounts by examining how closely connected one account is to others in terms of the shortest path between them (Carnia, E. et al., 2021).These values also indicate that the actors involved in the network maintain strong and close relationships with other actors.As the closeness centrality values approach 1.0, it signifies that the network's actors are tightly connected, facilitating the rapid dissemination of information contained within the uploaded tweets.A closeness centrality score of 1.0 in the #DemokratLawanBegal network reflects an exceptionally high level of proximity among the network's actors.This suggests that each actor in the network has very swift and efficient access to interact with other actors.In the context of the hashtag, this may imply that information or messages uploaded by one actor will quickly spread and be accessed by other actors within the network.This high level of closeness can strengthen the flow of information and effective communication within the network, enhancing the potential influence of key actors in disseminating political messages.
With closeness centrality reaching a score of 1.0, we can also conclude that this network likely has a highly connected and coherent structure, where actors support and reinforce each other in amplifying messages related to the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal.This can bolster the roles of key actors, such as the official democrat party account (@pdemokrat), in guiding conversations and influencing public perceptions in the related political context.Overall, this high closeness centrality underscores the importance of an efficient social network in the dissemination of information and influence in the digital world.Subsequently, the computation of betweenness centrality is utilized to identify accounts that wield the greatest influence in the information dissemination process, producing results ranging from 0 to 1, with values closer to 1 being most favorable (Nugraha, et al., 2022).The data presented in Table 3 provides an intriguing insight into the primary bridging roles within the social network related to the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal.In this context, @ajengcute16 leads with the highest betweenness centrality value of 0.002261.This indicates that this account functions as a key translator and connector in conveying information and expanding the reach of messages related to the hashtag.Other actors within the network likely rely on @ajengcute16 as one of the primary sources of information and communication related to the #DemokratLawanBegal movement.
In addition to @ajengcute_16, the official democrat party account (@pdemokrat), also plays a significant role with a notable betweenness centrality value of 0.002174.Betweenness centrality is a measurement of an actor's position among other actors, aiming to assess the significance of that actor's role (Nugraha, et al., 2022).This indicates that the official Partai Demokrat account also serves as a vital connector in delivering messages and information to network members.Furthermore, @panca66 also receives a relatively high betweenness centrality value of 0.001145, indicating its crucial role as a connector in the flow of information and network interactions.
The conclusion drawn from the analysis of betweenness centrality reveals the central roles of specific actors in facilitating communication and information dissemination within the #DemokratLawanBegal network.@ajengcute_16, @pdemokrat, and @panca66 hold key roles in connecting other actors and expanding the reach of messages related to the hashtag.This underscores their significant influence in shaping the conversations and perceptions within this social network.
The research findings shed light on the dynamics of political communication and social network interactions surrounding the feud between AHY and Moeldoko within the Democratic Party.The analysis of the Twitter hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal reveals several key insights and implications for understanding this political discourse.
The feud between AHY and Moeldoko reflects an ongoing struggle for leadership control within the Democratic Party.AHY, as the current party leader, has strategically utilized Twitter as a platform to assert his leadership authority.Through the hashtag #DemokratLawanBegal, he has effectively framed himself as the sole leader capable of leading the party, while portraying Moeldoko negatively as a "bandit" who harms the party.This strategy has positioned AHY as the more influential political actor in this feud.
The study highlights the pivotal role of Twitter in contemporary political communication.AHY's active engagement on Twitter has allowed him to connect with his followers, shape the narrative, and garner support.Moeldoko, on the other hand, seems to face challenges in building a widespread presence on Twitter, despite support from internal party factions.
The social network analysis of the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag provides valuable insights into the relationships among different actors within this political discourse.The analysis identifies two types of network relationships: direct and indirect.Direct relationships involve actors as information senders and receivers, while indirect relationships involve actors with similar roles.In this context, the network pattern primarily consists of actors who act as information senders, while others receive and engage with that information.
Degree centrality analysis reveals that the official Democratic Party account (@pdemokrat) is the most dominant actor, indicating its significant influence in spreading messages and information related to the hashtag.Additionally, a group of individual accounts with high out-degree values plays an active role in amplifying messages within the network.These individuals are key actors in expanding the reach of political messages and contributing to the ongoing discourse.Closeness centrality analysis highlights that certain actors in the network maintain strong and close relationships with others, facilitating the rapid dissemination of information.This high level of closeness suggests efficient communication within the network, enhancing the potential influence of key actors in disseminating political messages.Betweenness centrality analysis identifies specific actors, such as @ajengcute16 and @pdemokrat, as key translators and connectors in conveying information and expanding the reach of messages related to the hashtag.These actors serve as bridges between other network members and play vital roles in facilitating communication and information dissemination.
The research findings on the AHY-Moeldoko feud in the Democratic Party shed light on how political leaders utilize social media, particularly Twitter, to assert authority and shape political narratives.This contributes theoretically by demonstrating the strategic use of hashtags and online discourse in mobilizing support and understanding network dynamics in political communication.Practically, the study emphasizes the importance of active engagement on social media for politicians to connect with followers, influence public opinion, and strategically communicate party agendas.It also highlights the significance of identifying key actors and network patterns to effectively amplify messages within online discourse communities, showcasing the transformative impact of social media on contemporary political communication and the need for adept utilization by political actors to navigate intra-party dynamics and shape public discourse.

CONCLUSION
The feud between Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) and Moeldoko over the leadership of democrat party, highlighted through the Twitter trend #DemokratLawanBegal, signifies a power struggle within the party and a broader competition among political elites for leadership control.AHY, the current party leader, strategically utilizes Twitter to assert his leadership dominance, using the hashtag to rally his supporters and emerge as the most influential figure in its propagation.This political communication strategy not only frames AHY as a strong leader but also portrays Moeldoko negatively as a party "bandit," effectively shaping public perceptions.However, Moeldoko's efforts to establish himself as a political elite within the party, especially on Twitter, appear to face challenges in garnering widespread support.
The Social Network Analysis (SNA) of #DemokratLawanBegal reveals a closely interconnected network of actors, with key figures such as @pdemokrat playing a central role in information dissemination.In conclusion, the analysis of the #DemokratLawanBegal hashtag provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of political communication, framing strategies, and network interactions within the Democratic Party feud.It underscores the importance of social media platforms like Twitter in shaping political discourse and the pivotal roles played by key actors in influencing public perceptions and conversations.These findings contribute to our understanding of contemporary political communication in the digital age.
The limitations of this research can be a recommendation for future research to analyze the actor network in more depth, such as investigating how the actor network develops more broadly until the time period when decisions on democratic party leadership issues are answered according to policy rules.In addition, future researchers can also focus on conducting discourse analysis of political content shared within actor networks on various media platforms to identify themes, sentiments, and patterns that influence network dynamics and relationships.