Citation

Triasuti, Endah and Husin, Husna Sarirah and Balakrishnan, Kavitha (2026) Bridging social capital: The experiences of Orang Asli communities in Malaysia in navigating information disruption. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, 18 (1). pp. 37-53. ISSN 26727080

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Abstract

This study examines how Malaysia’s Orang Asli indigenous communities navigate disinformation in the network society, challenging hegemonic, Western-centric digital literacy frameworks that prioritise individual critical thinking and overlook marginalised lived experiences. Drawing on Sherry Ortner’s anthropology of the good and James Scott’s The Weapons of the Weak, it explores agency, resistance, and resilience through collective practices amid vulnerability, oppression, and the digital divide. Employing qualitative methods, including interviews with government officers and community leaders, and four focus group discussions (FGDs) with 24 participants (elderly, youth, teachers, and community members) from June 2023 to February 2024, data were analysed thematically to uncover strategies for information verification and adaptation. Findings reveal the Orang Asli’s reliance on interpersonal networks, family trust, and local leaders to combat misinformation, fostering bonding social capital for internal solidarity and bridging ties for external engagement. Despite government distrust and systemic isolation, communities transform precarity into resilience via culturally embedded tactics, such as community fact-checking meetings. The study contributes by reframing digital literacy as collective, context-sensitive, and affective, and by advocating inclusive policies that bridge social cleavages and empower peripheral voices to build humane, sustainable resilience against information disruption.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Digital literacy, fake news
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA71-90 Instruments and machines > QA75.5-76.95 Electronic computers. Computer science
Divisions:	Faculty of Computing and Informatics (FCI)
Depositing User:	Ms Rosnani Abd Wahab
Date Deposited:	03 Jul 2026 06:15
Last Modified:	03 Jul 2026 06:15
URII:	http://shdl.mmu.edu.my/id/eprint/16203

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