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Indonesian presidential hopefuls are trying social media, K-pop to win young voters. Will it work?
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Fans sing along to a K-pop song during an event organized by a cosmetic brand collaborating with a South Korean boy band, at a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024. As Indonesia votes this month to replace popular President Joko Widodo, all three candidates have all been aggressively seeking to win the votes of younger people, reaching out to them on the apps they use, through the K-pop music many love, and even video gaming events. - photo by AP Photo/Dita Alangkara
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Seventeen-year-old Naima Khairiya Ismah started being bombarded by social media posts from candidates for Indonesia's presidential election on before she'd even given voting any thought. As three candidates vie to replace popular but term-limited President Joko Widodo in an election later this month, they've been aggressively seeking millennials and Gen Z voters. People between the minimum voting age of 17 and the age of 43 make up about 55% of the country's 205 million eligible voters.