Reimaging Indigenous Baduy Women in the Vortex of Digital Technology: Female Empowerment Perspective

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Volume 12 Number 1 Article 3

April 2023

Reimaging Indigenous Baduy Women in the Vortex of Digital Reimaging Indigenous Baduy Women in the Vortex of Digital Technology: Female Empowerment Perspective

Technology: Female Empowerment Perspective

Naniek Novijanti Setijadi

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Recommended Citation

Setijadi, Naniek Novijanti (2023) "Reimaging Indigenous Baduy Women in the Vortex of Digital

Technology: Female Empowerment Perspective," Jurnal Komunikasi Indonesia: Vol. 12: No. 1, Article 3.

Available at: https://scholarhub.ui.ac.id/jkmi/vol12/iss1/3

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Reimaging Indigenous Baduy Women in the Vortex of Digital Technology:

Female Empowerment Perspective

Naniek Novijanti Setijadi

Department of Communication Science, Universitas Pelita Harapan, [email protected] Article Information

Received (10/31/2022);

Received in revised form (16/02/2023);

Accepted (05/03/2023);

Available online (21/04/2023)

Keywords/Kata Kunci

Baduy women, empowerment, digital transformation, participatory media, culture

Abstract/Abstrak

Baduy is a tribe that adheres to ancestral traditions, a social system based on cultural values, beliefs, and rules passed down for generations. Nevertheless, they are now touched by digitalization. This study considers challenges, difficulties, and potential advantages when communities, especially women in remote, rural, non-electrified homes, are equipped with fundamental communication technology knowledge and competence. It aims to identify critical factors and trends of indigenous Baduy women’s participation in ICT and examines the practices enabling women’s participation in social media. Primary data of research is the result of observation and in-depth interviews, while secondary data is the result of documentation. This research is based on the theory of technology domestication, which emphasizes the role of users in making media technology usable in their daily context. The empirical and qualitative fieldwork data results reveal how indigenous Baduy women construct their sense of reality in the vortex of digital transformation while struggling to maintain their traditional culture. Findings are presented with a discussion of the im- plications and challenges for new media uses as a means of cultural production for alternative, more socially oriented purposes.

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1. Introduction

Baduy is one of the Indonesian ethnic groups located in Lebak Regency, Banten.

This Sundanese tribe consists of the Inner and Outer Baduy people. The tribes reside on approximately 50,000 hectares, comprising 65 Baduy Luar and three Baduy Dalam villages. They have their own rules and local wisdom to maintain their sustainability.

They are friendly with nature. They believe that their ancestors have governed all life, customs, and culture, which their citizens must carry out. The Baduy Dalam is a group usually living in the forest’s interior. The hallmark of this tribe can be seen in their white clothes.

The difference between the inner Baduy and outer Baduy is in applying customary regulations. In terms of clothing, daily life, prohibitions, and rules, Baduy Dalam has been regulated by the Customary Institution. For example, one cannot take a car because it is considered technology, so one must walk everywhere. Customary institutions have made official rules for generations. There are typical sanctions when a community breaks the rules.

The inner Baduy community has the resilience to stubbornly refuse to adopt modern technology in a bit to protect their ancient traditions. Therefore, the people who live in the country’s westernmost province on the island of Java proudly claim they will maintain a way of life that has been unchanged for centuries. This sub-ethnic Sundanese group resides and lives with nature in the interior of the protected forest in the Kendeng Mountains, Kanekes Village, Leuwidamar District in Banten, West Java.

Saijan, the Jaro of Kampung Kadukektug (Jaro refers to the village head), mentioned that the number of Baduy people spread in Kanekes village is around 12,000.

Most Baduy inhabitants are officially illiterate; schooling is prohibited and against their beliefs and culture. Thus, it is rejected by the consuetude. According to Baduy people, writing is taboo, and they believe more in spoken words. The Baduy tribe is still thick with traditions that adhere to customary rules. Eventually, “Adat,” Baduy’s customary laws, prohibits formal schools but nowadays allows self-learning or inde- pendent study for Baduy Luar residents if they want to, an unavoidable change. How- ever, there are still fears that education and certified schooling will make the younger generation of Baduy leave their villages. Preserving adat is considered a mandate from their ancestors.

The religion of all Baduy tribes (outer and inner Baduy) is Selam Sunda Wiwitan (be- lief in nature and ancestral spirits). The Baduy community adheres to traditional principles and values that love nature and maintain good social relations. In addition to these princi- ples, the Baduy community adheres to the applicable customary rules, namely “Pikukuh Sapuluh” and “Pikukuh Karuhun.” Pikukuh in the Sundanese language means the laws that govern the life of the Baduy people. The tribes whose lives depend on and prioritize the preservation of nature always maintain the balance of nature through a customary law called

“Pikukuh Sapuluh,” which serves as a mandatory code of conduct. Meanwhile, “Pikukuh Karuhun” regulates the preservation and protection of nature. “Gunung ulah dilebur, lebak ulah dirusak” said Jaro Saija (Head of Kanekes Village) in Sundanese. This statement im-

plies the mandate to preserve the environment by preventing mountains and valleys from destruction.

Cited from (Admgeografi, 2019), in Sundanese, Pikukuh Sapuluh as a basic guideline

for their life consists of 1) Moal megatkeun nyawa nu lian (Do not kill); 2) Moal mibanda

pangaboga nu lian (Do not steal); 3) Moal linyok moal bohong (Do not cheat and do not

lie); 4) Moal mirucaan kana inuman nu matak mabok (Do not get drunk); 5) Moal midua ati

ka nu sejen (Do not polygamy); 6) Moal barang dahar dina waktu nu ka kungkung peting

(Do not eat in the middle of the night); 7) Moal make kekembangan jeung seuseungitan (Do

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not use flowers and perfumes); 8) Moal ngageunah-geunah geusan sare (Do not oversleep);

9) Moal nyukakeun ati ka nu igel, gamelan, kawih atawa tembang (Do not entertain yourself with music, dance, or song); 10) Moal make emas atawa salaka (Do not wear gold or gems).

Pikukuh sapuluh, as the local wisdom and the basic guidelines of Baduy’s lives, is firmly held and implemented as the Ten Commandments of God. Thus, resulting in a Baduy culture that excels in thinking, acting, and behaving. However, the most fundamental difference between these two tribes is in carrying out their Pikukuh or local wisdom. The Inner Baduy still adheres to the customs and carries out the standard practices well; on the contrary, the outer Baduy people do not hold it as vital, especially with the proliferation and influence of social media in the village.

In 2016, as a government project specifically to help bridge digital divides in rural areas, PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk (Telkom) established the Broadband Learn- ing Center (BLC) in Ciboleger Village, Banten, a district near the outer Baduy village (IndoTelko, 2016). Since then, the Baduy people have begun to know the internet world. Unmitigated, the 4G network was plugged in by this government operator in the Baduy Village and around the Ciboleger area. Data access and internet connection from Telkom and Telkomsel help Baduy people become digital information technology literate. One example is when Baduy people want to sell their handicrafts, they no longer need to wait long to sell them to visitors and tourists, and they can use social networks to offer their handicrafts and sell them online.

Quoted from Antara News (2021), a young man from Outer Baduy named Udil Baduy admitted that in addition to producing various Baduy handicrafts, he also promotes and sells his products online in several well-known marketplaces in Indonesia.

He and some Baduy youths in Kadu Ketug Village promote and sell the Baduy MSME (Macro Small Medium Enterprise) products using digitalization or information technology. “Even though we still have concerns about marketing this way. Because technology is by law something that is taboo and is prohibited by traditional elders, even we are considered ‘naughty,” said Udil. However, with the pretext to help promote the handicraft of the people in the area, including the products made in his ‘Imah Kriya Baduy’ (see Fig. 1.1), Udil and several other youths who are familiar with ‘smartphones’

continue selling those online as well as directly to visitors who come to the location.

Figure. 1.1. Imah Kriya Baduy. Source: Antara News https://banten.antaranews.com/berita/184517/orang-baduy-pun-kini-sudah-digitalisasi

Young Baduy women also feel the benefits of digital technology penetration in Baduy

villages. They begin to recognize media literacy and use it. This situation has changed the

image of the Baduy people, especially the Baduy women, who were previously portrayed

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as being left behind, who can now take advantage of digital communication technology in their daily lives. However, digital communication technology is a double-edged knife for women. “As technology advances, women are left behind in the digital divide. Women are currently on the wrong side of the digital skills gap. In tech, it is a man’s world.” (Taylor, 2018. p.1 ). Taylor’s statement implies that when men dominate access to technology, this situation can put women at risk of being left behind economically and socially. On the other hand, significant new opportunities are promising by giving women the full power of digital technology. Therefore, it is crucial to examine how indigenous Baduy Luar women, who live in a male-dominated world, use digital technology in their work and personal life and what they think about digitalization, a process of reimagining their portrayal.

2. Literature Review 2.1. On Becoming Digital

With the increasing adoption of mobile phones, communication is expanding as young people engage in new practices to connect and reach new audiences. The Internet propels the improvement of the socioeconomic life of people globally. Undoubtedly, these new technologies are rapidly transforming the world’s civilizations, driving the empowerment and support of global economic growth. Work and community life improved. They radically change the world, promising new forms of community, knowing, and participatory culture.

Seizing this opportunity, no one, especially women, is hindered from achieving their goals. It is time to take advantage of digital transformation as an opportunity, especially for women, to build a more inclusive digital world. However, this opportunity has yet to be enjoyed by everyone equally. The differences in resources and capabilities to access and uti- lize ICT effectively (digital divide) typically exist between those in urban areas and those in rural areas, between socioeconomic groups, and between the educated and the uneducated.

Those have led to a digital gender gap, which could place women at a disadvantage (Flew, 2014, p. 23; UN Women, 2015; Hanna, 2021). Women remain digitally marginalized in many of the world’s poorest countries (ITU, 2021).

As many as 200 million Indonesians have access to the Internet. Fortunately, from that figure, the percentage of female internet users is higher than that of men. The data was taken based on the 2021 National Digital Literacy Index Survey, where 56.6 percent of internet users in Indonesia are women. Based on gender, 56.6% of respondents were female, and 43.4% were male. Meanwhile, according to generational groupings, 43.8% of respondents are Generation Y/Millennials (23-38 years), 28.6% of respondents are Generation Z (13-22 years), there are 23.9% of respondents from Generation X (39-54 years old), and 3.6% of respondents are Baby Boomer group (55-70 years old). This figure shows that Indonesian women have gained access to technology and are undergoing migration and digital transfor- mation. However, analysis of the index results also revealed that efforts to increase literacy for groups of women, low-income groups, those with low education, and older people also need to be made (KOMINFO, 2022).

Outer Baduy communities have been influenced or exposed to outside/modern culture.

Even though electricity is strictly forbidden in Baduy Village, nowadays, the use of smart-

phones is permitted by the traditional outer Baduy sachem/Jaro to support their daily activi-

ties. Outer Baduy people have access to smartphones and the Internet. The Internet penetra-

tion throughout Indonesia, including Baduy village, is undoubtedly impacting the villagers,

particularly those digital native generations. They get used to social media such as YouTube,

WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.

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The claim that convergent social media is associated with a more participatory and, potentially, more democratic media culture is lively debates in media, communication, and cultural studies (Flew, 2014). Deuze (2006, p. 68) argued: “People not only have come to expect participation from the media, but they increasingly have found ways to enact this participation in the multiple ways they use and make media. The Internet propels this trend.”

2.2. The Notions of Participation and Participatory Media Culture

With the development of digital technology, social media allows users to participate and increasingly find ways to use and create media (Deuze, 2006). Christiane Krieg- er-Boden and Alina Sorgner (2018, p.1) argued that “digitalization offers a variety of opportunities for female empowerment and equal female participation in labor markets, financial markets, and entrepreneurship.”

The technology of Web 2.0 has eased the distribution and access of media content across multiple platforms. More interactive social media dramatically reduce barriers to media participation, radically transforming media production, distribution, and reception. Conse- quently, media users expect a right to media participation (Flew, 2014, p. 76). Fuchs (2014, p. 52) argued, “Participatory culture is a term often used to designate the involvement of users, audiences, consumers, and fans in creating culture and content. Examples are the collaborative editing of an article on Wikipedia, uploading images to Facebook, uploading videos to YouTube, and creating short messages on Twitter”. It is a world in which people work together to collectively organize and construct information (Delwiche & Henderson, 2013), the emergence of collective intelligence (Levy, 1997). A transformational shift in media communication systems from one-to-many message transmission in which media

“prosumers” (producers and consumers) are participants who interact with each other in new ways (Jenkins, 2006, p. 3). David Gauntlett attributes Web 2.0 to the shift from a sit- and-go culture to a make-and-do culture (Flew, 2014, p. 83).

Jenkins et al. (2006, p.7), in their book Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Cul-

ture: Media Education for the 21st Century, argued that participatory cultures are character-

ized by “relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some information mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices.” An amateur level of profes-

sionalism often occurs in people who have much free time and do it as a hobby but with a level of knowledge and skills that are close to professional. Pro-Am (professional-amateur)

culture (Castells, 1989; Rosenfeld, 2015) refers to an innovative, committed, and networked

amateur working to professional standards and greater online self-expression. The partic-

ipants believe their contributions matter and feel some social connection with one anoth- er. With this notion in mind, this research focuses on participatory Baduy women in creating and sharing their opinions, daily life, and cultural creations on social media.

2.3. Revisiting Dimension and Definition of Culture

“Culture is one of the most challenging concepts in the human and social sciences, and there are many different ways of defining it” (Hall, 2003, p. 2). Clifford Geertz, as cited from Griffin et al. (2019, p. 237), argued that “culture is shared meaning, understanding, and sense-making. It is inherited and expressed in the form of symbols through which peo- ple communicate and know life’s behavior”. Geertz’s definition implies that the culture in which we live is very influential on our communication behavior, beliefs, and values that are learned and interpreted jointly by a group or community members (Setijadi, 2019, p. 117).

Culture consists of a structure of institutions and practices or activities that reflect and up-

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hold a particular social order. It resulted from the best embodiment of philosophy practiced in society, defining social groups, values, expectations, behavior patterns, good or bad, right or wrong, and justice (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2019).

One of the primary practices that shape society is communication, through which reality and social views about gender are constructed and try to convince us what is natural and right to behave for men and women. In many respects, patriarchal Baduy society means men created the ideology, structure, and practice. Their systems and practices construct perspec- tives on what is expected and suitable for women and men.

The way of inheriting the character of the Baduy people to their generations begins at an early age; children learn through their parents and nature (the environment). Parents are the primary educators, stipulating that a mother oversees daughters’ upbringing, while for boys, the father’s role is vital in educating them. When boys reach the age of ten, interaction with nature will dominate. Boys are taught to manage the fields, hunt, and the like. They are trained to live independently by utilizing and controlling nature adequately and wisely, following the applicable rules.

In contrast, girls are taught to weave and make handicrafts. As is common in most tribes in the Indonesian archipelago, weaving is a traditional Baduy art that has been passed down for generations. Weaving is a Baduy woman’s job that is taught from an early age. A myth among them is that if a man touches a wooden loom, he will change his behavior to be like a woman. Each of these practices communicates Baduy society’s views of gender.

2.4. Technology Domestication, the Media, and Cultural Production

Technology plays an important role when people construct reality, experience, and live in it as meaningful coherence and give shape to this reality. As a metaphor and analytical concept, domestication is the intersection where technology and humans adapt and coexist. This process attempts to subliminally conform to their environment in a way that is taken for granted. The concept of domestication was initially developed in England in the context of media appropriation in everyday household life (Hartman, 2020). Domestication is about how technology is used in everyday life. This concept captures practical, temporal, and spatial places but, most importantly, underscores how it blends into the culture as an expression of lifestyle and values.

Echoing Haddon (2016, p. 1), “Domestication theory provides a framework for understanding how information and communication technology (ICT) finds a role in people’s lives.” This attempt requires reciprocal adjustments of users and technology, where social shaping comes into play. Essentially, the person shapes technology to fit his life (Hynes & Richardson, 2009). Thus, the domestication of technology is not a one- off event but rather an ongoing process. One fundamental approach to mobile technologies and their use and appropriation is the domestication approach.

A sociologist from France, Pierre Bourdieu, has developed a theory of cultural produc- tion; where this theory is used to examine how mainstream and alternative media make it

possible to produce content that can influence the culture of that society (Littlejohn et al., 2017). While according to Terry Flew (2014, p. 77), there are two distinct elements of the

concept of participatory media, i.e., forms of media with various terms such as radical,

community, or alternative that are consciously structured to differ from mainstream media.

Therefore, “a critical awareness of an increasingly participatory global media culture in

multicultural societies is developed as a necessary tool to explain the success and impact of

ethnic or minority media, as well as to embrace the changing ways in which people use their

media” (Mark Deuz, 2006, p. 68).

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3. Research Methodology

Based on the purpose of this research, the methodology used is an ethnographic qualitative methodology. It is a research approach in which the researcher looks at people in their cultural setting to produce a narrative account of that culture, providing an interpretation of the data gathered and drawing conclusions about the research data. The direct observation and in-depth interview were done in Baduy Luar village and also by observing the Instagram Posts of the key informants.

This study was conducted for approximately seven months, starting in November 2019 until the first half of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak caused an un- expected disruption to many people’s daily lives around the globe. Setijadi (2021, p.

3) stated that people worldwide immediately followed the Government’s stay-at-home order, curfews, and self-quarantine, to prevent the spread of the virus, not to mention the enforcement of socially distancing protocols even among family and friends. In In- donesia, the Government employed the term large-scale social restriction (PSBB-Pem- batasan Sosial Berskala Besar). During which daily community activities rapidly changed, following and adopting the new ‘normal.’ Thus, that was the challenging period of doing the ethnographic research of direct observation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, data was gathered through WhatsApp text messages and observation of the informants’ social media posts on Facebook and mainly Instagram.

3.1. Data Collection and Analysis

The primary data are collected through observations and in-depth interviews with informants to conclude how Baduy societies and individuals function. Data collection incorporates in-depth interviews with two females in Baduy Luar village, both informants aged 23 years old, who actively use social media like Instagram and Facebook.

Secondary data are from literature study and observation. The selection of female key informants was first made by randomly looking at several profiles of Baduy women with Instagram accounts. Then the two selected key informants were contacted via their IG DM (direct message), who enthusiastically responded well. At the same time, the other two male informants consist of the husband of one informant and the other one, a neighbor.

In addition to interviewing and observing female Baduy subjects, the author inter- viewed two millennial males, aged 24 of Baduy Luar, who were active in using social media; one of them is a quite famous Baduy YouTuber with subscribers of 88.1K. Ini- tial interviews and observations were carried out in November 2019 in Baduy Village before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. All participants found the interviews a welcome opportunity to discuss their experiences using new digital information technology. The data obtained are categorized based on themes that follow the objectives of this study. The researcher closely examines and analyzes the data to identify common themes, topics, ideas, and meaning patterns repeatedly appearing in interview tran- scripts and social media profiles. The thematic analysis approach in this research is to find informants’ views, opinions, knowledge, experiences, or values regarding digital technology. This article examines how indigenous Baduy Luar women employ digital communication technologies in their working and private lives and what they think about digitalization. The data analysis techniques were carried out through several stages: data reduction, data collection, data presentation, drawing conclusions, and evaluations.

4. Results

Understanding social media means “coming to grips with the relationship of culture

and economy” (Fuchs, 2015, p. 1). Daniel Bell (1919–2011) and Manuel Castells (1942–),

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as quoted from Duff (2022, p. 6), “They both recognize that economic and cultural forces interact with new technology in complex ways, shaping it and being shaped by it. Never- theless, both correctly accord information and telecommunications technologies a major instrumental role in restructuring society, as will now be seen.” Their arguments imply that telecommunications can build new social frameworks and define economic and social ex- change, knowledge sharing, and the character of jobs and positions in society.

The availability and penetration of the Internet in Baduy Village significantly impact the lives of the Baduy Luar community, particularly the millennial generation. The Internet has propelled Baduy women’s social media participation trend. It has been opening minds,

flourishing new abilities, and creating social inclusion chances, helping to lead people to

economic growth and a feeling of purpose. Vital new opportunities are promising by giving women the full power of digital technologies. Therefore, the argument that men’s domina- tion for greater access to these technologies puts women at risk of being left even further behind economically and socially is very much debatable.

4.1. Riding the waves of digital communication technology by the Baduy Women

Technology affects almost every aspect of 21st-century life. The power of the In- ternet has enabled global communities to form ideas and resources to be shared more quickly, which also affects the Baduy Luar tribes. The Baduy Luar women are now aware of the usefulness of technology in their lives, especially the use of social media for socialization and productivity. In general, the Baduy Luar women use media primarily for instrumental purposes. Using social media means how they engage with the thoughts of others, communicating and engaging in communities (Fuchs, 2015).

The most well-known social media used by the Baduy women are WhatsApp, You- Tube, and Instagram. Many are familiar with and have FaceBook accounts. Still, they find WhatsApp and Instagram more practical and favorable for promoting their products (Figures: 4.2.1). Mostly, they use social media to exchange short text messages. However, those with sophisticated devices and sufficient credit are now using WhatsApp video-calling as a simple way to stay in touch with fellow Baduy villagers and their customers. They utilize information technology to engage more in public life;

in the words of the great cultural theorist Raymond Williams as cited by Mosco (2017), an “extra edge of consciousness” to understand the modern world.

Figure 4.2.1: Social Media Platforms used by Baduy women Source: Instagram

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They use social media to connect with other people outside Baduy Luar and communicate with the Baduy Luar residents. Within the Baduy Luar communities, they use it for announcements, i.e., village gathering events (weddings, the death of a villager, religious ceremonies, harvest time). As for communication with outsiders, primarily to sell their artistic works, such as handwoven Baduy Koja bags (made of tree bark) and agricultural products like coffee, forest honey, and palm sugar. “Cultural work is appealing because it is inherently connected to creativity, an essential feature of all human beings. It applies a materialist perspective that is especially inspired by Ray- mond William’s work that he characterized as cultural materialism.” (Fuchs, 2015, p.

8 ). As Raymond Williams (1981) reminds us, culture is part of the material universe of the world and society and must therefore be produced and reproduced by humans in work processes. At the same time, it develops so that it sublates, preserves, eliminates, and uplifts - its economics and takes on emergent qualities in society.

4.2. Millennial Baduy Women in the Digital Age: Implication and Challenges

Subliminally, Baduy women become digital in their daily lives. Even though by age group and generation, they are considered digital natives, they are total strangers to it and become digital immigrants by culture. Moreover, they are not immune to media influences, as media scholars argued, in many ways affect their identities, opinions, choices, and lives (Croteau & Hoynes, 2014; Wood, 2011).

The potential for Baduy cultural tourism has a global selling point, such as the life of the Aboriginal community in Australia or the Amish tribe in the United States.

The Baduy village is a cultural heritage designated by the Lebak regional government since 1990. Since then, the local government has programmed Baduy tourism into the Regional Tourism Development Master Plan. This tourism development will be man- aged through integrated development with infrastructure, lodging, and craft stalls to sell unique Baduy handicraft products, including various types of handmade souve- nirs, Koja bags (made of bark), machetes, weaving, and palm sugar.

The benefits of having tourists for the Baduy community are that they can increase the Baduy family’s income. Visitors from the city, individually and in groups, are always there to see and learn firsthand the culture and natural beauty of the Baduy.

The presence of “outsiders,” who are “very accustomed to being spoiled by technological advancements and lifestyle of the instant supermarket as a characteristic of the modern society” (Muntaha & Runturambi, 2020, p. 91), is like a mirror of the reality of the Baduy community about the outside world. “A more abstract and conceptual media and cultural theory suggests that the media play a role in constructing our sense of social reality, as well as our sense of being part of this reality” (Strinati, 2016, p. 274).

Even so, the presence of various technologies needs to be balanced with education and knowledge. Formal education has not been able to touch Kenekes Village residents, and schooling is considered to destroy the order of life that has been in effect for generations. Also, the Baduy people limit themselves in terms of interacting with outsiders. Even if someone can read and write, it is obtained informally from those who come, even from the writings on the packaging of instant noodles or other snacks brought by the visitors. So, they need filters and literacy to absorb various information and technology.

For the Baduy community in today’s digital era, maintaining local customs and wisdom is like holding coals of fire. The development of media technology is a challenge and a temptation that becomes an obstacle for them to maintain their customs.

These barriers can hinder and deprive the current advancement of women of the many lucrative opportunities in the digital age (Krieger-Boden & Sorgner, 2018). As inherently hedonistic creatures, humans usually value materially beneficial change, even if it is wrong according to favorable laws and institutional or religious rules. They enter

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the postmodern world where religion, culture, and art will gradually change. “In the postmodern world, metanarratives are scattered, and their validity and legitimacy are lost. It is increasingly difficult for us to structure and interpret our lives in any metanarrative” (Strinati, 2016, p. 277). One day, the traditional leaders might slowly loosen the standard rules of their great-grandfather’s mandate to adapt to technological developments.

4.3. The lived experience of being a Baduy woman on social media platforms - Tensions between Tradition and Modernity

“Cultural goods are not just information that expresses and communicates meaning, which meanings also express moral norms, values, judgments.” (Fuchs, 2015, p. 1 ). ‘Adat’ (local wisdom) becomes the glue for the social relations of the Kanekes Village community. The Kenekes (Baduy) village community fully adheres to established principles to isolate themselves from technological developments and outside influences.

However, this principle is now causing problems for indigenous peoples to inevitably accept the proliferation of new media in their daily lives. Economic factors can also be a fundamental reason for fully joining the global village virtually.

The new media infiltrated their village from tourists who came and interacted with residents - causing them to see the outside world through the Internet. The enforcement of customary rules to continue rejecting and prohibiting modern technology is a struggle that is being challenged. There was a challenge of power and control; even the Village Head (Jaro) realized that it was “impossible” to resist the current new media technology. Jaro allows the use of cell phones if only for good things. The Baduy, especially the millennials, find social media, particularly Instagram, useful for advertising and promotion, public relations, customer relation, and networked communication.

Nowadays, many Baduy women, including their children, have also presented themselves on social media (Instagram) as the model for their products (see figure 4.3.1).

Figure 4.3.1. A Baduy woman and her son as models of her handwoven cloth.

As members of a patriarchal tribe, Baduy women are reluctant to expose themselves live on YouTube. Many are reserved and need to be more eloquent to speak directly on the YouTube channel. Baduy women prefer to be passive visual objects limited to pho- tos on Instagram or Facebook. Another example is an MSME actor, a Baduy woman whose husband is a YouTube star who sells handicrafts on their terraces but makes payments easier for buyers by providing QRIS. This Baduy couple uses social media to increase their income. The husband promotes Baduy culture and products produced by his wife through YouTube. He has thousands of followers and earns much revenue from posts on his YouTube channel. The wife, not a YouTube star, takes advantage of her husband’s promotions by displaying their products on their terrace using digital technology for payments. Visitors can pay for what they purchase using an e-wallet by scanning QRIS, as seen in Figure 4.3.2).

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Figure. 4.3.2. Kios Alis.

Source: Asumsi: Distrik: Buah Manis Jaga Kekayaan Leluhur Suku Baduy

5. Discussion

The Baduy tribe has strict customary rules and is consciously carried out with full awareness by the community. Traditionally, “Urang Kenekes” is known to be naive, innocent, and honest. Nevertheless, now, this statement must be re-examined further.

They are familiar with fi nancial transactions and new communication technology like mobile phones, and there is no bartering activity like before. They open stalls, sell natural products and crafts to tourists, and sell honey through social media. Economic demands are the main reason.

Capitalism and hedonism have also begun to penetrate the Baduy village; as Muly- ana (2012) argued, “Nothing is more real than change...As inherently hedonistic creatures, humans usually value materially benefi cial change, even if it is wrong according to positive laws, institutional or religious rules”. With increased income from selling handicrafts, their lifestyles change. Outer Baduy women began to recognize consumerism and beautify themselves by buying and wearing gold jewelry, which eventually was prohibited by their local wisdom, “Pikukuh Sapuluh,” the tribe’s Ten Command- ments (Figure 5.1).

Baduy women have challenged the fi xed stereotype of femininity, which emphasizes gentleness and meekness. They generate a new set of possibilities for ethnic minority women in the context of consumer culture. They enter the postmodern world where religion, culture, and art will gradually fall. Adat, or the traditional philosophy of Baduy, which provides stories that deliver a metanarrative about how they should live, is yet being challenged. Strinati (2016, p. 277) argued that “In the postmodern world, metanarratives are scattered, and their validity and legitimacy are lost. It is increasingly diffi cult for us to structure and interpret our lives in any metanarrative”.

Figure 5.1. A Baduy Luar Woman with her gadget and gold jewelry Source: researcher

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Bourdieu (1986) distinguishes forms of capital that can determine peoples’ social position, i.e., economic, social, and cultural capital. These results confirm the value of a Bourdieu-based approach. They indicate the need to consider economic, social, and cultural capital to understand better the social reality of Baduy women in the vortex of digital technology.

Conclusion

Today’s Baduy women show an image of how modernity has penetrated their lives amid urbanization and the explosion of consumerism triggered by the development of digital communication. Particular attention to digital media’s enormously influential role increased during this period, and it would not be ingenuous to expect that they are now living in lesser-developed contexts. In the vortex and exposure of digital technology, which reinforces cultural views of gender pervading Baduy women’s daily lives, most people seldom pause to reflect on whether they are as natural as they seem.

By contrast, in terms of maintaining culture from outsiders, the Baduy women have firmness in preserving their culture so that it continues to exist amid the propelling modernization era. The Baduy Luar community is starting to be affected by the emergence of new potential for an alternative, what Ben Agger (2011) terms “slow modernity.” However, digital literacy is a rapid solution and opportunity for women’s economic empowerment. The use of digital platforms can promote greater access to markets and make Baduy women more literate in a sustainable manner.

The Baduy tribe adheres to a patriarchal understanding where women are more

“submissive” than men. Nevertheless, now, there is a change in the millennial generation of Outer Baduy women. They have a better sense of self-worth, can make their own choices, and have the right to participate in social change for themselves and others. They do not wish to have power over men but themselves. The research demon- strates the Baduy women’s capability to participate using their preferred digital media simply because they are given a chance. As technology advances, women need to catch up in the digital divide. However, digital and social media are a vast spectrum with many different applications, and still, it is essential to consider the advantages and disadvantages. Nevertheless, this study offers starting points for further research about the impact of digital communication technology on the life of rural indigenous people in other remote interior areas of Indonesia.

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