Study Objective
From the very beginning of my life, I have been fascinated with communication. Given that Indonesia is one of the most “advanced” countries in social media consumption, I am more obsessed with what social media really is nowadays and in the future. Now, as we are the 4th ranked of the top Facebook countries in the world and play a significant role in the social media spheres of the Southeast Asia region. Moreover, social media marketing is also one of the tools that is massively used by a lot of organizations and companies in Indonesia. This fact is actually one of the things that attracts me to study further about social media beside community development where I’m currently working for. I highly motivate myself to gain what I really want to learn about this field by being a digital community management officer at Putera Sampoerna Foundation’s Marketing Communications Department. I could find and ellaborate more about how to identify and map social media matters in Indonesia, specifically in my industry (passion): youth, education, and community development.
Most Indonesian people naturally love to talk, love to chat, and love to socialize with others. This is one of the factors causing social media in Indonesia to grow so fast. People nowadays are really attached to social media and most communities in Indonesia use social media as one of their communication channels to share their ideas and activities with the public. For instance, what I have been doing with community in Rotaract Club Semanggi Jakarta and Gerakan Indonesia Berkibar is educating kids and primary school students through social media to build the personal branding and public relations activities of the community. Last January I was invited by the US Embassy to have lunch with Susan Stevenson, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. We had a discussion with other social media activists and shared a lot of things, including what I have been doing with my community. We have been doing many fundraising activities through social media, such as for victims of the Merapi volcano eruption in 2010 and the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006. In 2012, we also had a bazaar charity which enabled people living in slum area (Karet Tengsin Area) to shop a lot of cheap clothes for Eid celebration (Islamic big day). The raised fund of the bazaar was distributed to the children who were still in medication treatment.
My interest in social media and digital media is very personal and related to my personal passion for internet and community development. People call me a social butterfly since I frequently engage in social media such as blog, twitter, and facebook as well as communities. Even Indonesia has a good reputation regarding social media, there are still a lot of cases where people abuse it. Some of us are not ready go social! I believe that my background in communication and media studies and my passion in community development will be a powerful tool to contribute to my country. My choice to attend university in the Netherland was influenced by my passion to help develop a good atmosphere and system of democratic engagement through social media. The Netherland is a nation which has a strong foundation in democracy, and it is a great model for Indonesia, which has a lot of similarities. Indonesia and the Netherland are both countries with huge populations representing various ethnicities and cultures. Since the reformation era, I believe that everyone in this country has the right to express their voice. And social media is one of today’s most powerful tools to execute the ideas of freedom.
As a developed country, the Netherland facilitates a flexible educational system that provides a positive atmosphere for the growth and development of democracy. Everyone regardless of social, cultural, or ideological background can pursue a worthy education. Living in the Netherland and experiencing social media atmosphere will provide me with the opportunity to gain both academically and practically social media and community development of Netherland, while allowing me to explore my interest in culture, environment, freedom, and democratization. I believe it will support my vision in developing Indonesia’s social media and community development. After finishing my education, I will return to work at Putera Sampoerna Foundation or any NGO focused on education and community development. I would also love to work in a university or with communities such as Rotaract Club and Gerakan Indonesia Berkibar for the betterment of Indonesia education.
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