Wired for life in this modern world
Wired for life in this modern world
In this increasingly wired world, there is a soaring demand
for modern conveniences to be provided by electronic gadgets.
Certain appliances have become more than basic needs for most of
us, we have become dependent on them for our comfort and
pleasure. The Jakarta Post's reporters I. Christianto, Christiani
S. Tumelap, Imanuddin, Aloysius Unditu, T. Sima Gunawan, P.J. Leo
and Ivy Susanti, switch on to the trends. More stories are on
Page 9.
JAKARTA (JP): Try as they might, the baby's parents could not
get her to stop crying during the blackout. They cuddled her and
sang sweet lullabies, all to no avail.
She only ceased her wails after they put her in their car and
drove her around the neighborhood.
Was it the dark that unsettled her? And what was the car's
magic that had her purring softly again?
Its air conditioner.
Like many other infants and children here, the baby is not
used to the heat even though this is a tropical country. They are
accustomed to air conditioners or, at the very least, the breeze
of an electric fan. No wonder they suffer when a blackout hits.
Late last month, several areas in South Jakarta were without
electricity for between two and 23 hours, the second blackout to
strike the city this year. The first occurred in April, affecting
most of Java and Bali.
People were suddenly without their usual comforts. They could
not watch TV, listen to music on their stereos or bathe. Food
rotted in darkened refrigerators. People stormed supermarkets and
stores to buy not only candles and batteries, but also water and
food.
"I couldn't take a shower, I missed my favorite TV show and I
couldn't even cook rice," complained a resident, Dina.
A dependent on modern conveniences, she could not do without
her electric rice cooker, not to mention the blender, mixer,
oven, toaster and, of course, refrigerator in her kitchen.
Another woman, Ratih, keeps some remnants of old ways in her
house. She does not have a microwave, and still uses a broom and
mop to clean the house. But she has a washing machine and keeps
entertained with TV, a stereo system and LD player.
Her reliance on all things electrical is representative of
millions of urbanites who probably never dreamed they would be
wired for life in their childhoods.
"Electricity reached our house in 1975 when I was in high
school," she said. "Every night, before we had electricity, I
would gather with my brothers and sisters near the petromax (a
type of lantern) in the living room.
"We had a black-and-white TV, and the power to turn it on came
from a storage battery."
She said the location of her home on the outskirts of Jakarta
was "still a jungle" just 20 years ago. She was thankful her
house got electricity because "many people still don't enjoy it".
In 1996, 95 percent of urban households had electricity
compared to 59.5 percent of rural homes. Three years before,
electricity covered 90 percent of urban households and 38.8
percent of rural households, according to the Indikator
Kesejahteraan Rakyat 1996 (1996 People Welfare's Indicator).
Encouraging economic growth in the past two decades, and its
accompanying rise in consumer purchasing power, has exerted many
changes in the people's lives. Almost every urban household has a
TV, stereo and refrigerator. Many others also have microwaves,
vacuum cleaners and sophisticated audio-video systems. Many
children have electronic toys instead of the traditional ones
their parents had. Some adults also like to indulge themselves
with high-tech games.
James Limengka, general manager of PT Pentanum Global Electric
of Panggung Electronics, said the demand for electric appliances
increases from 10 to 15 percent annually. "But this is for the
middle and upper level group, the rate may be higher for the
lower income people," he added.
Pentanum is the distributor of General Electric products in
Indonesia. From monthly sales of about Rp 2 billion, 47 percent
are for refrigerators, 28 percent for air conditioners, 15
percent for washing machines, 7 percent for ovens and 3 percent
for miscellaneous GE products, such as air dehumidifiers.
"We sell about 200 refrigerators, 400 electric stoves, 125
washing machines and 50 air coolers monthly."
He believes that in the long term, the market for electric
tools will continue to increase, provided the economic situation
gets better.
President of PT Sony Indonesia, Yoshinori Ishikawa, said the
country was considered one of the most prospective markets for
the audio-video business in Southeast Asia, but it would have
lower growth in the coming year due to the rupiah depreciation.
"The demand for audio-video sets might drop by up to 50
percent next year," he said.
For Andrew, the manager of a private company, the monetary
crisis has had little effect on his pleasure pursuits.
Every month he allocates from Rp 200,000 to Rp 300,000 to buy
VCDs or LDs, which he watches in his home theater.
Andrew installed the home theater in his house in Bekasi, East
Jakarta.
"I also installed air conditioning and tried to improve the
room's acoustics. I plan to prepare better equipment from the
best brands, but my small house won't be appropriate for such new
equipment."
Andrew said he spent several million rupiah for the home
theater. A more sophisticated home theater, however, could cost
tens million of rupiah, considering that the price of an
oversized TV set costs more than Rp 10 million.
More people are buying audio-video sets to better enjoy good
music and films, but some just use the equipment as decoration in
their houses.
"My house would look empty if I didn't have the audio-video
sets," said Hadi, an employee of a non-profit organization. "So I
installed them even though I rarely turn them on.
"But I think it's also important to have the equipment just in
case you want to enjoy it."
Every morning, he listens to music on his portable radio
before he leaves for the office.
"I go home late and rarely watch movies. I just watch
television to keep updated with the latest news."