Strengthening Social Capital Through Digital Surveillance in the “WargaJaga Warga” Manyar Sabrangan

Abstract

Urban security currently faces the challenge of the degradation of social control due to high mobility and individualism, as occurred in RT 06 RW 03 Manyar Sabrangan, Surabaya. This study aims to analyze how the "Warga Jaga Warga" program can reconstruct the structure of social capital and enhance the effectiveness of community-based security systems by integrating simple digital technologies. Using the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method, the study involved permanent residents, boarding house tenants, and RT administrators, and collected data through participatory observation and interviews. The main findings show that using WhatsApp groups and vehicle identification stickers significantly increases communication intensity and residents' participation in collective environmental monitoring. The study concludes that strengthening bonding, bridging, and linking social capital through digital media functions as an effective social enabler, reweaving fragmented social relations within heterogeneous communities. In practice, this intervention model offers a security solution that is inclusive, low-cost, and adaptable to the digital rhythm of urban society, with a high capacity to be replicated by other communities facing similar threats of social dysfunction.