VZCZCXRO8279
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #1951/01 3291045
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251045Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3936
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

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