Homeless Media and the Transformation of the Local Information Ecosystem in the Digital Era

Abstract

Although scholarship on digital journalism and platform-based news production has continued to expand, empirical research on homeless media operating as community-based information systems in non-Western urban contexts remains limited. Most existing studies focus on alternative, hyperlocal, or networked journalism within Western institutional settings, leaving the dynamics of homeless media in Global South cities insufficiently explored. This gap obscures how platform-native media without physical newsrooms construct credibility, authority, and sustainability within technologically mediated public spheres. Addressing this gap, this study examines the Instagram account @infobandungkota (IBK) as a case of homeless media operating within the local information ecosystem of Bandung, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with media managers, digital observation (netnography) of Instagram content, and online archival documentation. Thematic analysis was applied to identify patterns of content production, information verification practices, audience interaction, and platform dependency. The findings reveal that IBK has evolved from a user-generated content aggregator into a professionalized community media actor. Despite operating without a formal newsroom, IBK maintains journalistic credibility through multilayered verification practices. The absence of a physical media “home” provides operational flexibility, enabling rapid field reporting and fostering relational proximity with local communities. IBK functions as a trusted node within Bandung’s local information ecosystem by integrating participatory reporting, localized cultural communication, and distribution strategies attuned to platform algorithmic logics. However, this autonomy is accompanied by structural vulnerabilities, particularly reliance on platform algorithms, the absence of institutional financial support, and increasing emotional labor among media workers. Theoretically, this study contributes to digital journalism and media ecology scholarship by reconceptualizing homeless media as autonomous local information ecosystems rather than merely platform-dependent content producers. By extending the concepts of networked publics and portable communities, the study demonstrates that media authority in non-Western urban contexts is increasingly constructed through community trust, public participation, and socio-technical adaptability, rather than through institutional infrastructure alone.