Internet Changes Societies, but Will Not Replace Traditional Media: Expert
Bangkok. The internet and social media networks have led to global social changes, but will not replace the traditional media, a communications expert and assistant professor at Chulalongkorn University said in a workshop in Bangkok on Wednesday (28/09).
Prijita Tsukamoto claimed that while Brazil leads in the amount of time people spent online, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia are the biggest users of digital services in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region.
Social media networks have many times had an impact on societies, leading to important social movements in some of them.
"People can now share their stories; they can create movements for social causes. For example in Indonesia, in Prita's case in 2009. This happened due to the social media's power," Prijita said during the Asean media officers' workshop, referring to Prita Mulyasari, who sued a private hospital over misdiagnosis and was jailed after losing a civil defamation suit taken by the hospital. The public responded by donating Rp 825 million ($64,000) to pay for her legal defense.
Prijita predicts, however, that the digital age will not lead to the end of print media and the printing industry.
"I believe technology and digital [platforms] won't entirely replace the traditional ones," she said.
The Jakarta Globe is one of Indonesia's media leaders who discontinued their print edition to face the challenges posed by the global digital shift.
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