Perceived Fairness of Platform Moderation, Procedural Transparency, and Participation in Public Discourse: Evidence from Social Media Users in Indonesia

Abstract

The increasing role of social media in public communication highlights the importance of fair and transparent platform governance in supporting meaningful digital participation. This study aims to examine the relationships between perceived fairness in platform moderation, procedural transparency, and participation in public discourse among social media users in Indonesia. A quantitative approach with an explanatory, cross-sectional research design was employed, involving 125 respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale and analyzed through multiple linear regression using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25. The findings reveal that perceived fairness in platform moderation has a positive and significant relationship with public discourse participation, while procedural transparency demonstrates a stronger positive relationship. Simultaneously, both variables significantly explain variations in participation (F = 20.82; p < 0.001), with an R² value of 0.254, indicating that the model accounts for 25.4% of the observed variation. These findings highlight the importance of consistent moderation practices, accessible guidelines, clear enforcement explanations, and transparent appeal mechanisms in platform governance. The study contributes to digital communication literature by integrating procedural justice and digital public sphere perspectives, offering empirical insights into governance characteristics associated with public discourse participation in Indonesia.