Semarang, March 31, 2026 – The Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Diponegoro University (FISIP UNDIP) held a General Lecture entitled “Media and Democracy in Southeast Asia”, conducted in a hybrid format at the FISIP UNDIP Theatre Room and via the Zoom platform.

The event began with an opening speech by the Dean of FISIP UNDIP, Dr. Drs. Teguh Yuwono, M.Pol.Admin, who emphasized the importance of strengthening students’ academic capacity in understanding contemporary political dynamics, particularly in relation to the development of digital media and democracy. In his remarks, he also highlighted the role of higher education institutions as critical spaces for building political and media literacy in the era of information disruption.

As the keynote speaker, Dr. Patrick Keilbart, Senior Lecturer from Goethe University Frankfurt, delivered a presentation on the themes of mediatization, polarization, and identity politics in Southeast Asia. In his talk, Dr. Keilbart explained that Southeast Asia is one of the regions with significant diversity in media systems, yet also faces serious challenges regarding press freedom and the quality of democracy.

He pointed out that the evolution of digital media has brought two contradictory sides: on one hand, it opens up space for participation and the pluralization of discourse, but on the other, it also intensifies the phenomena of misinformation, polarization, and identity politics. In fact, some countries in Southeast Asia have experienced a decline in the quality of democracy, influenced by growing inequality, decreasing public trust, and the dominance of powerful actors in politics.

Furthermore, Dr. Keilbart introduced the concept of mediatization, that is, the increasing dependence of political systems on media to shape social and political reality. He also stressed the importance of media and information literacy (MIL) as a key strategy for confronting the phenomenon of the “infodemic,” or the flood of false information that has become more widespread since the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, media literacy not only encompasses the ability to access information, but also to analyze, evaluate, and critically produce content, so that society can become active and rational actors in democratic life.

The event was interactive, with a discussion session involving students and lecturers, covering various issues such as the role of social media in political campaigns, the challenges of democracy in Indonesia, and the relevance of Western theories in the Southeast Asian context. Through this activity, FISIP UNDIP hopes to enhance students’ global perspectives while improving their analytical skills in understanding the relationship between media and democracy. This General Lecture is also part of FISIP UNDIP’s commitment to presenting academic discourse relevant to global and regional developments.