Keep calm and eat satay: Indonesia's consumption-themed signals of defiance against terrorism

Many have noted the unique response of the Indonesian society to the bombing attacks that happened in Jakarta in January 2016. Whereas other societies have shown a variety of responses ranging from displaying regional solidarity to counter-aggression, Indonesians took to social media with irreverent, consumption-themed messages against the perceived terrorist agenda. We used symbolic interactionism as a lens to frame an analysis of Indonesian social media and news articles following the attacks to investigate the underlying factors influencing the gestation of this unique response. We found the interplay of various Indonesian cultural characteristics were influential in the collective negotiation of identity against the worldview threats of terrorism. This research is thought to be the first to investigate a phenomenon where the idea of consumption itself is used as an instrument of social resilience.