Reconstructing civic identity in the digital age: Pancasila, collective memory, and the crisis of generation z's national imagination

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v23i2.96141

Keywords:

collective memory, generation z, national identity, revitalization, civic imagination

Abstract

In recent decades, globalisation has led to a decline in nationalism and a crisis of civic identity among Generation Z. This study aims to analyse the philosophical process underlying this phenomenon. This study uses an integrative review of Google Scholar and Garuda, along with theoretical frameworks including the theory of the nation-state, Benedict Anderson's The Imagined Community, and Maurice Halbwachs' Collective Memory. Previous studies have concluded that globalisation has led to a decline in nationalism among Generation Z and have linked this decline to failures in civic education. However, the philosophical process of how globalisation causes this crisis has not been explored. This study explores this philosophical process using a theoretical framework. The analysis concludes that nationalism and civic identity are products of national imagination, historical continuity, and the inheritance of collective memory about national identity. However, in the digital ecosystem, the dominance of global narratives interrupts this inheritance process and even creates a transnational imagination. Philosophically, the decline in nationalism and the crisis of civic identity among Generation Z stem from the failure to inherit the collective memory of Indonesian national identity within the digital ecosystem. To strengthen nationalism and rebuild civic identity, it is necessary to revive the collective memory of Indonesian national identity through the digital ecosystem, including various social media platforms, so that Generation Z can inherit national identity memory smoothly in the global digital ecosystem.

References

Alfaqi, M. Z. (2016). Melihat sejarah nasionalisme Indonesia untuk memupuk sikap kebangsaan generasi muda [Looking at the history of Indonesian nationalism to foster the national attitude of the younger generation]. Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 13(2), 209–216. https://doi.org/10.21831/civics.v13i2.12745

Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism (Rev. ed.). Verso.

Angelia, I., Anggreni, S., Indrawadi, J., & Fatimah, F. (2024). The role of national defense education in fostering love for the homeland among Generation Z. Journal of Moral and Civic Education, 8(2), 276–287. https://doi.org/10.24036/8851412822024839

Appadurai, A. (1996). Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization. University of Minnesota Press.

Ariyanti, S., Hawa, G. I., Ardiyanti, D. K., & Sami’an. (2025). Cultivating Generation Z’s sense of nationalism in the era of globalization through the implementation of Pancasila. Civil and Military Cooperation Journal, 2(1), 1–6. https://journal.civiltary.com/index.php/civiltary/article/view/15

Arkan, N. F., & Najicha, F. U. (2024). Membangun kembali rasa nasionalisme di generasi muda [Rebuilding a sense of nationalism among the younger generation]. Jurnal Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan Undiksha, 12(1), 18–27. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpku.v12i1.53117

Asyahidah, N. L., & Dewi, D. A. (2022). Implementasi nilai-nilai Pancasila dalam menumbuhkan kesadaran nasionalisme pada generasi muda di era globalisasi [Implementing Pancasila values to foster nationalist awareness among the younger generation in the era of globalisation]. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 6(2), 9901–9908. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v6i2.3988

Aulia, A. S., & Dewi, D. A. (2022). Peran Pancasila dalam menumbuhkan kesadaran nasionalisme dan patriotisme generasi muda di era globalisasi [The role of Pancasila in fostering nationalism and patriotism among the younger generation in the era of globalisation]. Journal on Education, 4(4), 1097–1102. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v4i4.514

A’yun, M. Q. (2025, February 5). Memahami Generasi Z: Tantangan, perilaku, dan peluang [Understanding Generation Z: Challenges, behaviour and opportunities]. Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Gorontalo. https://gorontalokab.bps.go.id/id/news/2025/02/05/30/memahami-generasi-z--tantangan--perilaku--dan-peluang.html

Barmuddin, Satyadharma, M., Silondae, T. T. A., & Prasetyo, E. W. (2025). Kajian literatur terhadap penurunan semangat nasionalisme dan rasa cinta budaya generasi muda akibat globalisasi [A literature review of the decline in nationalism and cultural attachment among the younger generation due to globalisation]. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran, 4(2), 2063–2069. https://doi.org/10.70294/juperan.v4i02.1593

Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1997). Writing narrative literature reviews. Review of General Psychology, 1(3), 311–320. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.1.3.311

Fahira, H., & Dewi, D. A. (2022). Menerapkan nilai-nilai Pancasila di era globalisasi pada generasi muda dengan mempertahankan sikap nasionalisme [Applying Pancasila values among the younger generation in the era of globalisation by maintaining nationalist attitudes]. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 6(2), 10780–10784. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v6i2.4136

Fukuyama, F. (2018). Identity: The demand for dignity and the politics of resentment. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Ginting, A. E., Amanda, B., Sianturi, E. N. R., Simbolon, M. G., Syakira, H., & Simanjorang, F. (2023). Analisis implementasi nilai-nilai Pancasila bagi generasi muda dalam menghadapi era globalisasi sebagai perwujudan jiwa nasionalisme [An analysis of the implementation of Pancasila values among the younger generation in facing globalisation as an embodiment of nationalism]. Jurnal Ilmiah dan Karya Mahasiswa, 1(3), 26–35. https://doi.org/10.54066/jikma-itb.v1i3.279

Goodblatt, D. (2006). Elements of ancient Jewish nationalism. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499067

Grosby, S. (2005). Nationalism: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780192840981.001.0001

Halbwachs, M. (1980). The collective memory (F. J. Ditter, Jr., & V. Y. Ditter, Trans.). Harper & Row. (Original work published 1950)

Halbwachs, M. (1992). On collective memory (L. A. Coser, Ed. & Trans.). University of Chicago Press.

Hamidah, L., Mufid, A. W., Ahmad, A. K., Ichwanto, R., Fitri, S. G., & Putri, N. (2025). Pendidikan kewarganegaraan sebagai sarana menumbuhkan jiwa nasionalisme pada generasi yang terpengaruh globalisasi [Civic education as a means of fostering nationalism in a generation influenced by globalisation]. Jurnal Penelitian Ilmiah Multidisipliner, 2(1), 1574–1582. https://ojs.ruangpublikasi.com/index.php/jpim/article/view/479

Hariyanto, O. I. B., Muchsinati, E. S., Resnika, R., Yukie, H., Angelina, V., Michelle, M., Prasena, R. R., Surbakti, T. E. B., Putra, R. S., & Panjaitan, V. D. M. M. (2020). Rancangan website sejarah membangun nasionalisme mahasiswa Universitas Internasional Batam sebagai generasi muda di era globalisasi [Designing a history website to build the nationalism of Universitas Internasional Batam students as the younger generation in the era of globalisation]. National Conference for Community Service Project (NaCosPro), 2(1), 256–268. https://doi.org/10.37253/nacospro.v2i1.1192

Hasibuan, F. (2026). Menurunnya rasa nasionalisme di kalangan generasi muda di era digital [The declining sense of nationalism among the younger generation in the digital era]. Jurnal Pusat Studi Pendidikan Rakyat, 6(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.51178/jpspr.v6i1.3070

Hasrian, H., Akbar, A. A., & Raharjo, D. H. (2024). Globalisasi dan nasionalisme pada Generasi Z: Sebuah studi implikasi dalam penerapan nilai-nilai Pancasila [Globalisation and nationalism in Generation Z: A study of implications for the application of Pancasila values]. Civil and Military Cooperation Journal, 1(2), 59–64. https://journal.civiltary.com/index.php/civiltary/article/view/9

Herder, J. G. (1968). Reflections on the philosophy of the history of mankind (F. E. Manuel, Ed.). University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1784–1791)

Heywood, A. (2019). Politics (5th ed.). Red Globe Press.

Hidayat, R. (2023). Ketahanan nasionalisme generasi muda Simeulue di era globalisasi [The resilience of nationalism among Simeulue youth in the era of globalisation]. Integralistik, 34(1), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.15294/integralistik.v34i1.39944

Jayatissa, K. A. D. U. (2023). Generation Z – A new lifeline: A systematic literature review. Sri Lanka Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(2), 179–186. https://doi.org/10.4038/sljssh.v3i2.110

Klimczuk, A. (2015). Generational differences, generations of Western society, managing multiple generations in the workplace. In S. Thompson (Ed.), Encyclopedia of diversity and social justice (pp. 348–352). Rowman & Littlefield.

Kurniawaty, J. B., & Widayatmo, S. (2024). Nasionalisme di era digital: Tantangan dan peluang bagi Generasi Z Indonesia [Nationalism in the digital era: Challenges and opportunities for Indonesia’s Generation Z]. Jagaddhita: Jurnal Kebhinnekaan dan Wawasan Kebangsaan, 3(2), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.30998/jagaddhita.v3i2.3039

Kusumaningrum, D. N., & Sulistyaningsih, T. (2021). The internalization of nationalism and Pancasila for teenager as the value to living in the era of digital transformation. Journal of Community Service and Empowerment, 3(2), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.22219/jcse.v3i2.20595

Lanier, K. (2017). 5 things HR professionals need to know about Generation Z: Thought leaders share their views on the HR profession and its direction for the future. Strategic HR Review, 16(6), 288–290. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-08-2017-0051

Luhendra, S. K. I. (2025). Tantangan Generasi Z dalam mempertahankan identitas nasional dari fenomena #KaburAjaDulu [Generation Z’s challenges in maintaining national identity amid the #KaburAjaDulu phenomenon]. Maliki Interdisciplinary Journal, 3(6), 1711–1721. https://urj.uin-malang.ac.id/index.php/mij/article/view/15213

Merina, M., & Djono, D. (2025). Kesadaran nasional Generasi Z: Menjaga nasionalisme di era digital [Generation Z’s national awareness: Maintaining nationalism in the digital era]. Anterior Jurnal, 24(2), 115–119. https://doi.org/10.33084/anterior.v24i2.9652

Nada, S., Ekaprasetya, A., Dewi, D. A., & Furi, Y. (2021). Menumbuhkan jiwa nasionalisme generasi millennial di era globalisasi melalui Pancasila [Fostering the nationalism of the millennial generation in the era of globalisation through Pancasila]. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 5(3), 7853–7858. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v5i3.2256

Nurfalah, F. S. (2024). Upaya menghidupkan kembali nilai-nilai Pancasila sebagai pandangan hidup Generasi Z dalam menghadapi arus globalisasi [Efforts to revive Pancasila values as Generation Z’s way of life in facing globalisation] [Bachelor’s thesis, IAIN Syekh Nurjati Cirebon].

Nurhasanah, Y., Pahdulrahman, I., Sari, F. R. I., Darma, H. D., Plani, H. T., Nur, N. I., & Hudi, I. (2024). Peran pendidikan kewarganegaraan dalam membentuk identitas nasional di era globalisasi Generasi Z [The role of civic education in shaping national identity in the globalisation era of Generation Z]. Indonesian Journal of Innovation Multidisipliner Research, 2(3), 256–262. https://doi.org/10.69693/ijim.v2i3.182

Pamungkas, A. B., Andini, S. P., & Fitriana, I. D. (2023). Pentingnya Pancasila pada kehidupan Generasi Z [The importance of Pancasila in the lives of Generation Z]. Indigenous Knowledge, 2(7), 497–503. https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/indigenous/article/view/79641

Permatasari, O. S. D., Hanita, M., & Purwanto, H. (2023). Strategi internalisasi nilai Pancasila pada generasi milenial [Strategies for internalising Pancasila values in the millennial generation]. Responsive: Jurnal Pemikiran dan Penelitian Administrasi, Sosial, Humaniora dan Kebijakan Publik, 6(2), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.24198/responsive.v6i2.46659

Pramudita, O. (2024). Dampak globalisasi terhadap nilai-nilai Pancasila dan nasionalisme di era digital [The impact of globalisation on Pancasila values and nationalism in the digital era]. Antropocene: Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu Humaniora, 4(1), 19–24. https://doi.org/10.56393/antropocene.v4i1.2440

Pujasmara, D. D., Furnamasari, Y. F., & Dewi, D. A. (2021). Globalisasi sebagai pengaruh nilai nasionalisme bagi generasi muda [Globalisation as an influence on nationalist values among the younger generation]. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 5(3), 7430–7435. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v5i3.2164

Purwadi, D., Saliman, S., & Umar, U. (2024). Metamorphosis of citizenship education: Ignizing national awareness of the younger generation. Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 21(2), 206–213. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v21i2.67153

Purwaningsih, E., & Kanukisya, B. (2023). Fostering nationalism among university students in Indonesia: A communal perspective. Society, 11(2), 529–542. https://doi.org/10.33019/society.v11i2.632

Puspita, A., Suharjo, A. A., Putri, C. A., Ruhiyat, I. M., Nafisa, S. N., & Nugraha, D. M. (2025). Urgensi identitas nasional pada Generasi-Z di Pondok Pesantren Ardaniah Serang Banten [The urgency of national identity for Generation Z at the Ardaniah Islamic Boarding School, Serang, Banten]. Jurnal Penelitian Nusantara, 1(4), 26–28. https://padangjurnal.web.id/index.php/menulis/article/view/207

Rochim, E. N., & Agustama, B. S. (2026). Erosi nasionalisme: Tantangan ketahanan identitas Generasi Z akibat gempuran budaya global [The erosion of nationalism: Challenges to Generation Z’s identity resilience under the onslaught of global culture]. Jurnal Pancasila dan Kewarganegaraan, 6(1), 120–132. https://doi.org/10.36085/jupank.v6i1.9656

Satar, S. M., Handayani N., L., Attaulah, I. F., & Santoso, G. (2022). Revitalisasi nasionalisme pada Generasi Z di tengah perubahan global [Revitalising nationalism in Generation Z amid global change]. Jurnal Pendidikan Transformatif, 1(3), 82–91. https://jupetra.org/index.php/jpt/article/view/376

SETARA Institute. (2019, May 31). Wacana dan gerakan keagamaan di kalangan mahasiswa di 10 perguruan tinggi negeri [Religious discourse and movements among students at 10 public universities] [Research report]. SETARA Institute for Democracy and Peace.

SETARA Institute. (2023, May 29). Survey report: Tolerance of high school student. SETARA Institute for Democracy and Peace. https://setara-institute.org/en/english-survey-report-tolerance-of-high-school-student/

Shobariyah, A., & Darmawan, W. (2025). Use of digital applications as interactive media in history learning: A review of literature studies. Electronic Journal of Education, Social Economics and Technology, 6(1), 439–446. https://doi.org/10.33122/ejeset.v6i1.542

Siregar, L. D., Santati, F. P., & Meitisari, N. (2023). Generation gap conflict and its impact on employee performance. Jurnal Ekonomi, 12(2), 873–879. https://ejournal.seaninstitute.or.id/index.php/Ekonomi/article/view/1811

Smith, A. D. (1979). Nationalism in the twentieth century. Australian National University Press.

Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039

Suhaida, D., Sapriya, Nordin, Z. S., Moad, Rianto, H., & Rizal, Y. (2025). Design of citizenship education model development through digital media in strengthening students’ character. Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 22(2), 308–319. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v22i2.87279

Supratikno, A. (2023). Politik identitas dikaji dari perspektif sosio-historis pembentukan identitas nasional Indonesia [Identity politics examined from the socio-historical perspective of Indonesian national identity formation]. Jurnal Sosiologi Agama dan Teologi Indonesia, 1(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.24246/sami.vol1i1pp1-22

Suryana, F. I. F., & Dewi, D. A. (2021). Lunturnya rasa nasionalisme pada anak milenial akibat arus modernisasi [The fading of nationalism among millennial children due to modernisation]. Edukatif: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, 3(2), 598–602. https://doi.org/10.31004/edukatif.v3i2.400

Tarigan, T. A., Liui, F., Hanif, M., & Pandin, M. G. R. (2022). Challenges and solution in maintaining Indonesian Generation Z nationalism in digitalization era. Jurnal Syntax Fusion, 2(2), 350–362. https://doi.org/10.54543/fusion.v2i02.160

Titaley, J. A. (2013). Religiositas di alinea tiga: Pluralisme, nasionalisme dan transformasi agama-agama [Religiosity in the third paragraph: Pluralism, nationalism and the transformation of religions]. Satya Wacana University Press.

Triandafyllidou, A. (1998). National identity and the ‘other’. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 21(4), 593–612. https://doi.org/10.1080/014198798329784

Wajdi, M., Susanto, B., Sumartana, I. M., Sutiarso, M. A., & Hadi, W. (2024). Profile of Generation Z characteristics: Implications for contemporary educational approaches. Kajian Pendidikan, Seni, Budaya, Sosial dan Lingkungan, 1(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.58881/kpsbsl.v1i1.8

Wulandari, W., Furnamasari, Y. F., & Dewi, D. A. (2021). Urgensi rasa nasionalisme pada Generasi Z di tengah era globalisasi [The urgency of nationalism for Generation Z in the era of globalisation]. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 5(3), 7255–7260. https://doi.org/10.31004/jptam.v5i3.2134

 

Downloads

Published

2026-10-01

How to Cite

Supratikno, A. (2026). Reconstructing civic identity in the digital age: Pancasila, collective memory, and the crisis of generation z’s national imagination . Jurnal Civics: Media Kajian Kewarganegaraan, 23(2), 915–927. https://doi.org/10.21831/jc.v23i2.96141

Issue

Section

Systematic Literature Review (SLR) / Bibliometrics Article

Citation Check