SOCIAL MEDIA DRIVES PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 001951 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/PD, EAP/RSP S/P (T. ANDREWS) NSC FOR J.BADER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PREL SOCI ID SUBJECT: SOCIAL MEDIA DRIVES PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT REF: A. STATE 120172 ¶B. JAKARTA 1862 ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: As its urban middle class goes online in greater numbers, and with the rapid spread of mobile computing, social networking is a potent means of political expression in Indonesia. This month's outpouring of support for two former anti-corruption officials who saw 1.6 million Indonesian Facebook members express their support and spurred the government to action. This increased internet connectivity can also be a force in the future to tackle persistent challenges that Indonesia has faced for generations, including economic development, education, corruption and freedom of expression. By actively engaging with this emerging wave of leaders and online activists, the United States, as the originator of these technologies, is in a unique position to change its image in the world's most populous Muslim nation for an entire generation over the next decade. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) Despite only having ten percent of the population able to connect to the internet in Indonesia, (roughly 10-15% of the population, about 30 million people),Indonesians are now using e-mail, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking to express themselves and make their voices heard politically. These active internet users are in their mid-twenties to early thirties, professionally employed, and live in major urban areas like Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Balikpapan or Jogjakarta. In more remote or less developed parts of the Archipelago, the combination of the slow connection speeds and high expense is a major stumbling block to people getting online, but the recent proliferation of hand-held mobile devices (such as Blackberries and iPhones) that can access the internet has helped spur the spread of social networking tools beyond just major cities. ¶3. (U) The most powerful example of the impact of social media in Indonesian politics was this month's tremendous outpouring of support online for the ex-Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputies currently under investigation. In just nine days, more than one million members of the Facebook social network registered their support of former KPK deputies, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah. The Facebook fan page launched as a political protest to the National Police's arrest of the two former KPK deputies now has over 1.6 million members. Many commentators attribute the reaction by the Indonesian government on this issue to the strong social media support shown by everyday Indonesians. ¶4. (U) Another prime example of how Indonesia's "net-roots" are developing is the case of Prita Mulyasari, a 32-year old Jakarta housewife who complained about her hospital treatment in an email to a few friends. In May of this year she was charged with defamation and jailed after the hospital took legal action when her comments were widely circulated on the internet. Facing six years in jail and huge fines if convicted on criminal charges, people all over Indonesia reacted to her case by forming a Facebook fan page that in days drew over 100,000 supporters calling for her release. [Note: An estimated 9-10 million Indonesian are on Facebook] Despite being in the middle of his campaign, President Yudhoyono urged the courts to be lenient and his rival, Megawati Sukarnoputri, visited Ms. Mulyasari in jail. The online public outcry also prompted the lame-duck parliament to hold hearings on the subject. Shortly thereafter, Ms. Mulyasari was released from custody. While the case is still pending, it demonstrates how the Indonesian public reacted strongly to a potential infringement on the freedom of speech online, and how this is a force that can spur their political leaders to act. ¶5. (U) During both this year's Indonesian presidential and parliamentary elections, for the first time major parties and candidates used online technologies to conduct portions of their campaigns, through websites, blogs, Facebook fan pages and online advertising on popular internet news and information portals. In fact, all three major presidential campaigns met publicly with prominent political bloggers to sway their support during the run-up to the general election. ¶6. (U) Embassy Jakarta continues to focus on developing the ability of regular Indonesians to get online and express themselves as citizen journalists. With an estimated one million active bloggers in Indonesia, this year the Embassy was the major sponsor for the third annual national bloggers gathering, which included a series of blogging workshops in ten cities across Indonesia in three months before the event. Working together with American Corners, the response for the blogging workshops was overwhelming. Although we estimated a target participation of 300 students, actual participation was more than 1,400, and came from all walks of life, including government officials, housewives, teachers, and JAKARTA 00001951 002 OF 002 businessmen, all eager to learn how to blog. Additionally, at many venues, people had to be turned away due to lack of capacity, and sometimes we had participants tripled-up on available computers. At the national blogging conference itself -- which grew in size by 50% from last year -- Prita Mulyasari, was a featured speaker, and spoke on a panel that discussed online ethics. A telling anecdote was when Voice of American Indonesian Service head Norman Goodman introduced himself to a young blogger and entrepreneur, who had no idea what VOA stood for. When Mr. Goodman followed up and asked if he watched television or radio, the blogger responded that he gets information exclusively from online sources. While nearly a thousand people came by the U.S. Embassy booth, and our sponsorship generated nearly 150 feature stories in newspapers, radio and on television, it is clear that the emerging class of online activists and "digerati" are much harder to reach through traditional media. It is only through active partnerships with bloggers and the harnessing of social media to conduct public diplomacy that the Embassy Jakarta can reach this key group of Indonesian opinion-makers. Currently Embassy Jakarta has nearly 20,000 fans of its Facebook page -- more than any other U.S. Embassy worldwide, and just 6,000 fewer than the State Department itself. While this is just one measure of effectiveness, it shows that Embassy Jakarta has the capacity to successfully engage Indonesian public using new media. ¶7. (U) With the rapid adoption of online communication and social networking emerging throughout Indonesia, the U.S. needs to look for ways to adapt to the rapidly-changing society here in terms of developing new and innovative ways to connect to youth and the general public. One important new initiative is the proposed American Place, a 21st century public diplomacy outreach venue that engages Indonesian young people on issues and areas they find important and interesting. Because the United States is a global leader in information technology products and services, American Place will use technology as a tool to attract customers, educate them about the U.S. and American products, ideals, and values, and connect them with young Americans. In order to keep American Place dynamic, interesting, and interactive, we encourage our customers to share their American Place experience through social media. In order to make American Place unique from anywhere else in Jakarta, we will partner with American corporations, NGOs, and museums to provide content and programming. We envision private sector high-tech partners such as Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and others will use American Place to showcase their latest product or technology. By highlighting American leadership in technology and using that technology as a tool to engage young Indonesians, we will reach a new generation of future leaders in ways never before explored. ¶8. (U) The past year has shown tremendous growth of social media in Indonesian society. It has arrived as a viable means of organizing for political protest and civil action. These examples of its use indicate that the growth of mobile computing and membership in social media has allowed the general public to augment traditional forms of personal and political expression. If this is the case with just ten percent of the public connected to the internet, it is fair to say that future development of this sector over the next decade can translate into technology as a strong catalyst for solidifying Indonesian democratic gains and provide growth for other critical areas of development. ¶9. (U) This cable serves as Post's response to State 120172. HUME