Joining Idly Chat With His Squad
Since the World Cup is over, the post watchmen at the compound of my house getting quiet. No more hubbub of people waiting for the match in front of television sets at dawn until daybreak. There is no longer an ordinary mat held for lesehan. Boiled peanuts, cassava, wedang rounds, the previous nights diligently to come, even now disappeared. Last occupants heading ronda is a complex of two security guards and a few neighbors who happened to get a shift. Why? That night, when the wind rustle-rustle in July to bring the cold, despite not being received rations ronda. I just want to talk, listen to stories about the situation of the home environment.
Joining idly chat with his squad. As usual, I was carrying a smart cellular phone is always connected to the Internet. As he joked with neighbors, many times I see the phone to check e-mail or simply view the status of a friend on Facebook, Twitter, or the Foursquare. Because I was busy staring at the screen mobile phone, a neighbor and then reprimanded. From this purely sampean ngeliatin handphone. Why are hell, Mas? I grinned like a kid caught taking sweets in the shop. Uh, err … somebody … this is, sir. I again checked in at the post ronda’ll get the badge.
Check-ins? Badge? What’s that, Mas? Lha wong just in the post ronda’s all use the check-in’s, Mas? Kayak in the hotel …. Jleb! My gut like a sudden blow to battered heavyweight jab when I heard my neighbor’s comment. My house is only about 20 kilometers from Jakarta. Joining idly chat with his squad. But it’s a thousand miles distance of my digital knowledge and my neighbors. Of course my neighbors confused. I use the terms that were only known by those who are accustomed to using the Foursquare. This is the location-based social applications from Americans on the rise.
Check-in is a term used to report our position in a particular location. While the badge was the appreciation of the Foursquare mechanism to users, for example, several consecutive check-in at the same place. But, let Foursquare, too many of my neighbors who do not know any other social media, like Facebook and Twitter. Joining idly chat with his squad. You may laugh, but true. That’s when I suddenly stepped on the earth as drawn. So far I think everyone knows what is a blog, Facebook, or Twitter. It turned out that my neighbor there who do not know a single one.
The number of Internet users in Indonesia is continue to soar. Until this month, according to Google’s records, there are now approximately 31 million Internet users in a country whose population is 237 million people. Of that amount, 25 million more have a Facebook, Twitter has 6 million. Joining idly chat with his squad. Not yet known how many users Foursquare. But, as a picture, mailing list ID-Foursquare has claimed more than 400 active members. From the figures it is clear there are still many Indonesian people are not familiar with virtual networks. Moreover Foursquare.
There are still more than 200 million people who are blind Internet. This means that the digital divide so wide spread. And this gap is not just happening in remote villages, but even in areas not far from Jakarta. Those who live in big cities, with an Internet connection superkencang, maybe not quite feel or indifferent towards this gap. But occasionally try to get out of your comfort zone without bringing anything. Without a phone or laptop. Joining idly chat with his squad. Feel for yourself how to live like 200 million people of Indonesia that the Internet was not yet known.