Anthropologist observes changes in comfort measures for today's youth
Jakarta (ANTARA) -
Professor of Anthropology at the University of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. Semiarto Aji Purwanto, has observed changes in the measures of comfort among today’s youth, particularly those living in urban areas.
According to him, the current generation of young people mostly do not associate comfort solely with high income and asset ownership.
When contacted by ANTARA on Friday, he stated that leisure time is now linked to mental health, which is considered one of the indicators of a comfortable life.
“Leisure time associated with mental health has become a primary indicator of comfortable living,” said Prof. Dr. Semiarto, who serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Indonesia for 2021-2025.
He explained that today’s youth tend to choose to avoid lives full of pressure in pursuit of financial targets.
“So it’s not a life that’s always full of targets, constantly chased, with certain exhaustion, lots of money but not comfortable,” he said.
“No need for the most expensive or the largest quantity. What’s important is that it’s sufficient, meaningful, functional, and has aesthetic value,” he added.
According to him, this change is evident in the daily consumption habits of young people in big cities like Jakarta, which offer more diverse facilities and services.
“Now, experiences are important. Drinking coffee is not just drinking coffee, but an experience of enjoying the space and atmosphere,” he said.
From an anthropological perspective, he views the changes in today’s youth as a shift from material comfort—or comfort derived from possessing things—to experiential comfort, which is obtained from experiences.
However, Prof. Semiarto said that the definition and measures of comfortable living among urban youth today may differ from those of young people living in rural areas or regions with limited supporting facilities.
For most young people in rural areas and regions with limitations in infrastructure and facilities, according to him, the concept of comfortable living may still be closely tied to economic stability, stable employment, and asset ownership such as houses.