Nurturing digital culture, strengthening public literacy

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The development of digital technology has brought significant changes to people’s lives. The internet, gadgets, and various digital platforms are now not only tools for communication but also new spaces for working, learning, social interaction, and accessing public services.

Local governments (pemda) are increasingly active in utilising digital technology to improve the quality of services to the public. Behind this progress, an important challenge often overlooked is how to build and nurture a healthy digital culture.

Digital culture is not merely about the ability to use technology. More than that, digital culture reflects ways of thinking, attitudes, and responsibility in utilising digital spaces.

When digital culture is not built well, technology can instead amplify problems, such as the spread of hoaxes, online bullying, misuse of personal data, and declining public trust in government digital services. Therefore, sustainable digital transformation must be accompanied by efforts to nurture digital culture through collaboration among various parties.

Local governments play a central role in directing digital development in the regions. Through policies and technology-based public services, local governments determine how the public interacts with government digital systems. Various innovations, such as online permitting, citizen complaint applications, digital population administration services, and data-based governance, have become the new face of public services. However, experiences in many regions show that the success of these innovations is not always aligned with the level of utilisation by the public.

Often, the problem lies not in the lack of sophisticated technology, but in the readiness of its users. People unfamiliar with digital technology find digital services complicated and confusing. On the other hand, government officials also face adaptation challenges and changes in work methods. This situation underscores that digital transformation cannot focus solely on building systems but also on building people and their culture.

This is where the role of community groups becomes very important. Communities have social closeness and understanding of local contexts that make them effective in assisting the public in the digital adaptation process. Digital literacy communities, youth communities, MSME communities, and education activists often serve as informal learning spaces that help residents understand technology in a more relaxed and humane way. Through communities, people learn not only how to use applications but also media ethics, critical thinking towards information, and maintaining digital security.

IT practitioners and the technology industry are no less important. They play a role in translating policy needs and public requirements into concrete technological solutions. Applications, data systems, and digital platforms used by local governments are greatly determined by the quality of design by IT practitioners. The biggest challenge is ensuring that the technology developed is truly easy to use by people from diverse backgrounds. Public technology that is too complex will instead alienate the public from those digital services.

Collaboration between local governments, communities, and IT practitioners is the key to building a healthy digital ecosystem. Each party has complementary roles. Local governments as directors and guardians of public interests, communities as drivers of social change, and IT practitioners as providers of technological solutions. This collaboration is not just a concept but has been proven through various real practices, both domestically and internationally.