The findings are significant because drug prevention is no longer limited to face-to-face outreach. Social media has become a major space where young people obtain information, interact with others, and form opinions. Public institutions therefore need to deliver health and social safety messages through communication formats that match the habits and expectations of digital audiences.
The study was conducted against the backdrop of the continuing drug abuse challenge in Indonesia. Data cited in the article show that the National Narcotics Agency uncovered at least 618 narcotics-related criminal cases involving more than 900 suspects during 2024. Meanwhile, from January 1 to April 17, 2025, authorities recorded 13,142 drug-related crime cases.
Young people remain among the groups considered vulnerable to drug exposure. This situation highlights the need for prevention communication that goes beyond formal, one-way messaging. Anti-drug information must be presented in an attractive, accessible format and distributed through platforms that young people regularly use.
Researchers Analyze 185 Instagram Posts
To understand BNN Surabaya’s digital communication strategy, the researchers used a qualitative approach and netnographic analysis. In simple terms, netnography examines communication activities, social interactions, and digital traces within online communities.
The researchers observed the Instagram account @infobnn_kota_surabaya for three months, from January through March 2026. The data came from observations of Instagram posts, digital documentation, and an online interview with Nava, a member of the BNN Surabaya public relations team involved in managing the agency’s Instagram account.
A total of 185 Instagram posts were analyzed. The researchers examined various forms of digital communication, including feed posts, Reels, carousels, captions, hashtags, and audience interactions.
Educational content about the dangers of drugs was the largest category, accounting for 73 posts, or 39.5 percent of all content. It also generated the highest average level of engagement, with 15,005 likes and 1,256 comments per post based on the study’s analysis.
Other content categories included socialization and outreach activities, with 33 posts; BNN Surabaya activity publications, with 18 posts; collaborations with other institutions, with 19 posts; and institutional commemorations, with 24 posts.
By contrast, content promoting rehabilitation and public services each accounted for only three posts. This indicates that during the observation period, BNN Surabaya’s Instagram communication focused more heavily on prevention and education than on technical information about rehabilitation and public services.
Four Communication Pillars Shape the Strategy
The researchers analyzed BNN Surabaya’s strategy using four communication elements associated with Anwar Arifin’s communication strategy framework: understanding the audience, developing messages, determining communication methods, and selecting the appropriate media.
First, BNN Surabaya seeks to understand its target audience. Young people, students, university students, and the wider public are considered important groups because of their high levels of social media use.
Offline outreach activities in schools and educational institutions also help the agency understand the information needs of its audiences. This understanding is then used to adjust the language, visuals, and content formats presented on Instagram.
Second, anti-drug messages are developed by combining informative, educational, and persuasive elements. Information about the dangers of drugs, vulnerable groups, rehabilitation, and healthy living is presented through infographics, digital posters, carousel posts, and Reels.
The study also found that AI-supported editing technology was used in the content production process to help adjust visual elements and text to current digital trends. The technology forms part of the agency’s effort to make its content more attractive and relevant to social media users.
Third, BNN Surabaya applies multiple communication methods, including information delivery, education, persuasion, repetition, and audience-based message adaptation. One of the most distinctive elements is the use of local cultural identity.
The “Cula dan Baya” mascots and the local slogan “Surabaya Wani, Rek!” are used to create an emotional connection with the community. The idea of courage associated with Surabaya’s identity is reframed as the courage to reject drugs.
According to Nava, the public relations staff member and Instagram account manager quoted in the study, adapting messages to local cultural values helps make anti-drug campaigns feel closer and more acceptable to younger audiences.
Fourth, Instagram is used not simply as a platform for posting information but as a complete digital communication ecosystem. BNN Surabaya uses Feed, Reels, Live Streaming, Highlights, comments, and hashtags to expand the reach of its messages and encourage interaction with the public.
The study identified five hashtags that were used consistently: #AnakIndonesiaBersinar, #GenerasiBersinar, #IndonesiaTanpaNarkoba, #DimulaiDariAnak, and #LindungiGenerasi.
A Communication Model for Public Institutions
The research by Sherly Amelia Nur Faizzah, Citra Rani Angga Riswari, and Farida suggests that government institutions can transform traditionally formal public communication into a more interactive, visual, and culturally relevant form of engagement.
However, the study also identifies an important limitation. The research analyzed the communication strategy from the perspective of the message producer but did not directly measure whether the Instagram content changed audience behavior or awareness.
Future studies could therefore examine the impact of digital campaigns on young people’s knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Further research could also compare BNN communication strategies across other platforms, including TikTok.
For government agencies and public organizations, the findings offer an important lesson: the effectiveness of digital communication depends not only on how frequently information is published. Messages must be designed around audience characteristics, presented creatively, distributed through appropriate media, and adapted to local cultural identities.
With this approach, social campaigns such as drug prevention programs may reach wider audiences while building stronger communication relationships with the communities they serve.
Author Profiles
Sherly Amelia Nur Faizzah is the lead author of the study and is affiliated with Universitas Dr. Soetomo. Her research focuses on digital communication strategies, social media utilization, and public communication in the context of drug abuse prevention.
Citra Rani Angga Riswari and Farida are co-authors affiliated with Universitas Dr. Soetomo and contributed to the study of digital communication strategies and anti-drug prevention campaigns.
Note: The journal article lists the authors and their university affiliation but does not provide separate academic degrees or specific fields of expertise for each author.
Research Source
Faizzah, Sherly Amelia Nur, Citra Rani Angga Riswari, and Farida. “Adaptive Communication Strategies for Drug Prevention: A Netnographic Analysis of the Surabaya BNN’s Instagram Account.” Indonesian Journal of Advanced Research (IJAR), Volume 5, Number 7, 2026, pp. 1243–1260. DOI: 10.55927/ijar.v5i7.16828.
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