Internet in Indonesia

Establishing internet connections and virtual networking possibilities should also be an important step towards modernization and connection to the western industrialized countries in Indonesia. For example, the then technology and research minister Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie set up scholarship programs for Indonesians who were supposed to acquire the necessary technical knowledge abroad in order to finally set up one of the “multimedia corridors” in Indonesia that was much celebrated at the end of the 1980s, especially in Southeast Asia . The Indonesian specialists, the so-called Habibies Kids , who emerged from this funding policy , began to build up the inter-university network IPTEKnet in 1986, which is made up of the top Javanese universities Universitas Indonesia (UI) in Jakarta , Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), the Gadjah-Mada- University (UGM) in Yogyakarta and the Institut Teknologi Surabaya (ITS). From 1994 IPTEKnet became the first public internet provider and until now has remained the largest non-commercial internet service provider (ISP) in Indonesia.

User structure

For private individuals, however, the Internet was hardly affordable at the time and access was mainly limited to universities and government institutions. Until 1997, Indonesia remained one of the least connected countries in Southeast Asia . In 1995 the first private service provider was founded with »RADNET«. In the following year, this led to a relatively rapid spread of private Internet use, especially on Java. The number of registered users almost tripled from 15,000 in 1995, spread over five ISPs, to 40,000 at the end of 1996. The accounts were often shared by several people, so that the "real number" of actual users was probably much higher. The proportion of people with internet access in the total population of over 200 million people was, however, negligible.

Private ISPs could easily get the necessary licenses. In contrast to the requirements imposed on media companies, there were hardly any government regulations governing the use and provision of Internet services. In the new law on news distribution passed in 1996, the Internet was not even mentioned. Most of the providers were connected to existing, large media conglomerates in order to obtain appropriate financial backing.

In the beginning there were hardly any reliable statistics on internet usage. In the mid-1990s, most of the users were in the Jakarta - Bandung area. Over 90% of the usage was for business, university or government purposes. The negligibly small remainder of the Indonesian web was distributed among non-governmental organizations, research institutes and private users.

Internet cafes

→ Main article: warns

The Internet became more popular and more suitable for everyday use with the opening of Internet cafes, so-called warnets . The first three opened in Yogyakarta in September 1996 and initially spread primarily in the university towns on Java. The Indonesian Post also opened Internet cafés, the state-owned Wasantara-net. The aim should be to spread the Internet as a parallel communication medium to telephone and fax as part of the 5th national development plan Repelita V throughout Indonesia.

censorship

The success in controlling the Internet for “dangerous” content remained low. Political and pornographic content is (theoretically) not tolerated by the government. However, the technical equipment of government agencies and the rapid development of computer and Internet use, as well as a lack of interest on the part of the government to bring the Internet under state control, make it easy for political activists to use the Internet for information campaigns against the incumbent President Suharto. The information in cyberspace escapes the state control to which Indonesians in particular are exposed. In particular, the Indonesia-L mailing list, better known as Apakabar , stood out in the early days of Internet activism in Indonesia.

Official responsibilities

The ministerial responsibilities are not clearly defined. The Internet as an information and telecommunications medium is subject to the Ministry of Information, the propaganda and censorship authority of the New Order. On the other hand, the Internet as a communication medium is also subordinate to the Ministry of Post, Telecommunications and Tourism. Since the partial privatization of the telecommunications sector in 1989, this ministry has increasingly represented international economic interests. Liberal politics should make Indonesia attractive as a business location for foreign investors, the expansion of the Internet as a global communication medium is essential for this.

The military, on the other hand, is starting a counter-campaign to “correct false information” that is supposedly circulating on alternative sites on the Internet in response to the increasingly louder critical voices from cyberspace. Edi Sudarajat, the Defense and Security Minister, commented on the opening of the homepage of the Indonesian Armed Forces ABRI as follows: “Through Hankam-Net it is hoped that the deep-seated symptoms of crisis and erosion of nationalism as a consequence of the impact of globalization, which is difficult to resist, can be countered by the broadcasting of heroic and patriotic information via Internet to mobilize devotion to the Indonesian Nation and State. "

The Internet and the Events of 1998

Ascribing the central role in the events that led to the fall of Suharto in May 1998 to the Internet as a place of alternative information and an open exchange of views may be exaggerated. After all, just under one percent of the Indonesian population had access to the Internet. Nevertheless, it played a role in building a resistance movement that should not be underestimated, the work of which often took place in what was initially 'safe' cyberspace. This virtual opposition contributed a not insignificant part to the democratization of Indonesia.

Especially in the years after 1994, since the license revocation of the weekly magazines TEMPO , Editor and Detik , there was an enormous need for critical reporting, which the Internet could offer thanks to the guaranteed anonymity and the associated security against censorship and repression measures. Due to the limited reach of the Internet within Indonesian society, the additional, non-virtual dissemination of information from cyberspace also played a major role, so that during the protests against President Suharto in May, a mass movement emerged that far exceeded the student mobilization group as the main group the internet user went out.

But conventional, state-loyal media also made use of the Internet. MacDougall, the founder of the Apakabar mailing list, noted that by the end of 1996, of 86 registered newspapers, 30 were either already online, or at least about to launch online.

Between 1996 and 1998, more and more pro-democratic, anti-Suharto movements emerged, which found a suitable communication and networking platform on the Internet on which, protected by encryption or by foreign servers, alternative information could be transferred into the country that the government could not were more controllable. Attempts by the government to close relevant mailing lists or forums have been answered with the creation of further alternative lists. Many print media also voluntarily or involuntarily switched to the Internet in order to evade the censorship authority of the New Order. In addition to the weekly magazines Editor , Detik and Tempo , which were banned in 1994 and which shifted their journalistic work and publications to the Internet two years later, Pijar , an Indonesian human rights organization, also switched from its printed information magazine to a mailing list that was listed as KdP ( Kabar dari Pijar - News from Pijar ) achieved great political importance together with the Apakabar list.

Up until the Asian crisis in autumn 1997, around 20 Indonesian NGOs were networked with one another online and had homepages, discussion forums and mailing lists. This formed an important basis for the organization and mobilization of the anti-Suharto protests that led to the overthrow of the dictator in May 1998. Even formerly loyal to the regime, conservative newspapers, radio and television stations brought pictures and reports of the protests.

Reformasi and current developments in the Internet

From 1998 to 2001 the number doubled almost annually; From 512,000 to just under 5 million in 2002, the number of users stagnated until in 2004 it was over 8 million. In the following year the 10 million mark was exceeded for the first time and according to the information from the APJII it rose by around 5 million every year until 2007, until it was finally estimated at 25 million across Indonesia at the end of 2007.

use

One of Hill and Sen's arguments about the development of Internet use in Indonesia is that after the liberalization laws in 1998, the Internet lost its clout as an alternative news forum. Under Suharto, the Internet enjoyed the privilege of being the only information medium to offer uncensored news. Now print and electronic media can also send non-governmental messages. It seems to be developing more and more into a fun and entertainment medium.

The Internet is mainly used as a communication and entertainment medium, for writing e-mails, chatting or for online networks such as Facebook or the friendster format, which is more common in Indonesia . According to a study by James Harkness, over 40% of the users surveyed said they used the Internet for chatting or entertainment purposes, followed by reading lifestyle and sports magazines and the news. Only 14% looked for political information online. In addition to the pages of the popular e-mail providers, pornographic pages are at the top of the list of pages accessed. With the exception of the latter, most of the pages viewed are in Bahasa Indonesia , which shouldn't come as a surprise considering the small number of English-speaking Indonesians. Online dating is also becoming increasingly popular. With (private) chat rooms, the Internet creates free spaces that make it easier for young people in particular to come into contact with opposite-sex conversation partners. This shows the potential of the internet to evade not only state control, but also moral control by parents and other non-state authorities.

The Indonesian government is also making increasing use of the Internet to justify its policies and positions, to maintain its national and international reputation and to present itself in a modern way.

Infrastructure

Government efforts to make the Internet accessible to all across Indonesia are progressing slowly. The responsible director at the Ministry of Education, Gatot HP, arranged for a quarter of the vocational schools to be equipped with the Internet in 2001. Shared networks mean that students can pay between 1000 and 5000 rupiah per month. Small and medium-sized Internet companies work with schools to build the appropriate infrastructure.

The goal formulated by Onno Purbo in 2002 that in four to five years more than 20 million Indonesians could have access to the Internet seems to have been achieved. By the end of 2008, 35 million Internet users were expected in the archipelago.

Web links

Wasantara-net

Individual evidence

1. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 195
2. ^ Hill / Sen 1997: Wiring the Warung to Global Gateways. The Internet in Indonesia. In: Indonesia No 63 , Cornell University Press, p. 72
3. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 194.
4. ↑ history ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , rad.net.id 
5. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 196.
6. ^ Hill / Sen 1997: Wiring the Warung to Global Gateways. The Internet in Indonesia. In: Indonesia No 63 , Cornell University Press, p. 73
7. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 197
8. ^ Hill / Sen 1997: Wiring the Warung to Global Gateways. The Internet in Indonesia. In: Indonesia No 63 , Cornell University Press, p. 67
9. ^ Low, Pit Chen 2003: The Media in a Society in Transition. A Case Study of Indonesia. The Fletcher School (Tufts University). Master of Arts Thesis, p. 44, Lim, Merlyna 2003: From real to virtual (and back again) - Civil society, public sphere, and the Internet in Indonesia . In: Ho, KC / Kluver, Randolph and Yang, Kenneth CC: Asia.com. Asia encounters the Internet. London and New York: Routledge Courzon. Pp. 113-128.
10. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 206
11. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 202
12. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 208
13. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 204
14. ^ Hill / Sen 1997: Wiring the Warung to Global Gateways. The Internet in Indonesia. In: Indonesia No 63 , Cornell University Press, p. 67 f.
15. ↑ Lim, Merlyna 2003: From real to virtual (and back again) - Civil society, public sphere, and the Internet in Indonesia. In: Ho, KC / Kluver, Randolph and Yang, Kenneth CC: Asia.com. Asia encounters the Internet. London and New York: Routledge Courzon, p. 121
16. ^ Harsono, Andreas (2000): Indonesia. Dancing in the Dark. In Ed. Louise Williams and Roland Rich (2000): Losing Control. Freedom of the Press in Asia. Singapore: Asia Pacific Press, p. 83
17. ^ Mac Dougall, John A. (1997): Indonesia on the Net . In: Inside Indonesia 52 . ( online ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. , September 30, 2008) 
18. ^ Hill / Sen 2005: The Internet in Indonesia's New Democracy . London and New York: Routledge, p. 44-49
19. ^ Hill / Sen 1997: Wiring the Warung to Global Gateways. The Internet in Indonesia. In: Indonesia No 63 , Cornell University Press. Pp. 67-89, p. 75
20. ^ Hill / Sen 2005: The Internet in Indonesia's New Democracy . London and New York: Routledge, p. 48
21. ^ Harsono 2000: Indonesia. Dancing in the Dark. In Ed. Louise Williams and Roland Rich (2000): Losing Control. Freedom of the Press in Asia. Singapore: Asia Pacific Press. Pp. 74-92, p. 85
22. ↑ APJII 2007  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
23. ↑ Hill, David T./Sen, Krishna (2005): The Internet in Indonesia's New Democracy . London and New York: Routledge. Pp. 55-77
24. ^ Hill / Sen 2000: Media, Culture and Politics in Indonesia . Oxford: Oxford University Press
25. ↑ after: Hill (2003): Plotting Public Participation on Indonesia's Internet . South East Asia Research 11, 3rd p. 320
26. ^ Hill (2003): Plotting Public Participation on Indonesia's Internet . South East Asia Research 11, 3rd p. 321
27. ^ Slama, Martin 2002: Towards a New Autonomy. Internet Practices of Indonesian Youth. Southeast Asia Workingpapers Vol. 5. Austrian Academy of Sciences: Vienna. http://hw.oeaw.ac.at/0xc1aa500d_0x00080635
28. ^ Low, Pit Chen 2003: The Media in a Society in Transition. A Case Study of Indonesia. The Fletcher School (Tufts University). Master of Arts Thesis, p. 58
29. ^ Onno Purbo (2002): Getting Connected . In: Inside Indonesia 72 . ( online ( Memento of the original from April 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. , September 30, 2008) 
30. ↑ Jakarta Post, March 25, 2008