Transformasi Peran Mahasiswa dalam Menjaga Integrasi Nasional: Strategi Mitigasi Krisis Identitas Digital Generasi Z

Abstract

The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), built upon its diversity of ethnicities, religions, and cultures, is currently facing a new threat no less serious than physical threats, namely a national identity crisis caused by the penetration of the digital era and cultural globalization. Generation Z, as digital natives, is the group most vulnerable to value disorientation amid the rapid flow of information and foreign cultural content controlled by social media algorithms. This scientific article aims to analyze in depth how the digital identity crisis affects students’ capacity to maintain national integration, while formulating an adaptive strategy for transforming the role of students. This article was prepared using a library research method with a qualitative-descriptive approach and thematic analysis. The main findings indicate a gap between the cognitive and affective aspects of students: conceptually, students understand the values of Pancasila, but practically, their cultural preferences and social behavior tend to lean toward global culture due to low critical digital literacy. A fundamental transformation of students’ roles is therefore needed, from being merely agents of change in the physical space (agent of change) to becoming critical cyber agents (critical cyber agent). The proposed strategies include integrating national digital literacy into the Civic Education (PKn) curriculum, strengthening the local content-creator community ecosystem, and adapting national symbols into popular-culture formats. With this strategy, students can become an ideological line of defense capable of utilizing technology as an instrument of national unity.