The riots that occurred in several regions of Indonesia from late August to early September 2025 gave rise to the phenomenon of Warga Jaga Warga (Residents Guard Residents).
In Bandung, residents declared Warga Jaga Warga, Warga Jaga Kota (Residents Guard Residents, Residents Guard the City) as a joint effort to maintain order.
In Yogyakarta, people simultaneously posted Ayo Jaga Jogja Bebarengan (Let’s Guard Jogja Together) on social media.
Meanwhile, in Jakarta and several other cities, residents spontaneously supported authorities to keep the situation under control.
These actions demonstrated how solidarity and neighborly friendships serve as crucial forms of social capital in times of crisis.
This phenomenon aligns with findings from a study titled My Neighbor, My Friend: The Relevance of Support, Closeness, and History of Relations in Neighborhood Friendship conducted by Dr. Wenty Marina Minza, lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (Psychology UGM), along with her team.
The research was published in Human Arenas, a reputable Q1 international journal, in 2022.
The study confirmed that neighborhood friendships remain relevant, as support, emotional closeness, and shared history enable solidarity to emerge naturally in uncertain situations.
According to Dr. Minza, the research stemmed from a simple question regarding the relevance of friendships in neighborhood settings amid increasing social mobility.
Modern life has reduced face-to-face interactions among residents, replacing them with wider online networks.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic, which served as the backdrop for the study, revealed that neighbors often became the second-most important social circle after family when facing crises.
“This raised the question: to what extent are friendships with neighbors still relevant today?” she said on Tuesday (Sep. 9).
The study identified three key factors that sustain neighborhood friendships.
Support, both practical and emotional, is the first defining characteristic of a true friendship.
Closeness then strengthens this support, fostering familiarity, trust, and emotional bonds often regarded as family-like.
Shared history serves as a unique factor, as experiences from childhood or community activities nurture intergenerational friendships.
“These three elements work complementarily to ensure friendships are preserved,” explained Dr. Minza.
When asked about the recent Warga Jaga Warga phenomenon, Dr. Minza noted that while it operates on a different level, there is a connection.
Neighborhood friendships exist on an interpersonal scale, while movements such as Warga Jaga Warga reflect solidarity at the community level.
Communities enriched by interpersonal friendships, she argued, have a greater chance of becoming cohesive. In times of crisis, personal closeness often facilitates the formation of collective solidarity. Bonds nurtured through daily interactions can grow into a shared strength to safeguard the environment.
“A group or community whose intra-group relations are marked by many interpersonal friendships has a greater opportunity to be cohesive,” she remarked.
The relevance of neighborly friendships, Dr. Minza continued, is also important in addressing modern challenges such as high mobility and digital lifestyles.
Although people are increasingly busy and connected to diverse networks, there remains a collective awareness of the importance of maintaining relationships with neighbors.
The digital world even offers new opportunities to preserve these ties despite physical distance. This dynamic shows that neighborhood friendships are not outdated traditions eroded by time, but values that adapt to social change.
In other words, technology can serve as a medium to strengthen existing relationships rather than replace them.
“Support, closeness, and shared history in friendships with neighbors can reinforce social cohesion,” she added.
Dr. Minza emphasized the importance of sustaining neighborhood friendships as a form of social capital in times of crisis. In many critical situations, neighbors are often the first to provide help, even before extended family members arrive.
Therefore, relationships developed within neighborhoods should be viewed as valuable social assets.
“Friendships fostered in neighborhood contexts can serve as strong social capital for facing the various challenges and crises encountered by a community,” she concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Illustration: Freepik