Digital Labour: Digital Capitalism and the Alienation of YouTube Content Creators

YouTube is a digital platform that allows content creators to stream their videos in exchange for money earned through the YouTube Partner Program mechanism, motivates many people to join YouTube. However, what they do not realize is the hidden effect YouTube brings in the form of alienation experienced by YouTube content creators as digital labour. This article discusses this phenomenon of alienation experienced by digital labours. Using a qualitative approach with a descriptive research design, it offers a narrative research strategy to examine the narrative and discourse of alienation of content creators on YouTube. The unit of analysis of the study is the content of YouTube creators as digital labour. The findings show that YouTube is mainly a vehicle used by digital capitalism for the sake of profit accumulated by exploiting content creators from the videos they make. Content creators receive disproportionate or even no financial compensation from YouTube for the videos they produce for YouTube. As a result, YouTube content creators as digital labour experienced alienation from their work, their work activities, from themselves as a human species and from other humans.

The Impact of Overseas Training on the Performance of Bangladesh Civil Service: The Case of AIT Extension Training, Thailand

Public administration has to compete with private sectors in terms of quality service delivery to citizens. In this context, civil service training, especially overseas training, has been considered the most significant requirement to increase the performance of the Bangladesh Civil Service. This article tries to explore the impact of overseas training on the performance of the Bangladesh Civil Service. To achieve this objective, this study interviewed Bangladesh Civil Servants who participated Asian Institute Training (AIT) Extension training programme from 2016 to 2018. A mixed-method was applied to analyse the collected data. It found that Bangladesh Civil Servants, who have received AIT Extension training, were satisfied with the training management of AIT. Participants believed that such overseas training positively contributes to enhancing the performance of the Bangladesh Civil Service. However, this study also disclosed that fewer overseas training opportunities for young civil servants, lack of need-based training, and poor management of overseas training policy are the main obstacles in Bangladesh Civil service management. This article strongly recommends that there must be a detailed overseas training policy management and more collaboration with international training institutes to get better performance from the government officers in Bangladesh.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Literature Review

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the global population, especially the vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, indigenous people, and people with disabilities. Restriction and limited access to education, health, and public services due to measures taken to cope with the pandemic have made life even more difficult for people with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual ones. People with intellectual disabilities were not counted as a high-risk population, thus being excluded in most public health measurements that are done to encounter the pandemic. Several investigations have been conducted to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children, women, and the elderly, yet very few discussed how pandemics affected people with intellectual disabilities. This article is a review of existing literature using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) keywords like “COVID-19” and “intellectual disabilities” which was conducted in Pubmed, Web of Science, Mendeley, Google Scholar and ResearchGate to find related studies. Here we reviewed studies on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with intellectual disabilities, including access to education, healthcare, public services, and other related concerns. We also discussed the inclusivity of COVID-19 prevention and control measures taken so far and how it should be designed to accommodate people with intellectual disabilities. This review is expected to provide an insight for the stakeholders and policymakers to employ better and more inclusive approach in the management of pandemic to ensure the wellbeing and rights of people with disabilities in general and people with intellectual ones in particular.

Battling Against COVID-19 Infodemic in Indonesia: A Sociocybernetics Perspective

As Indonesians collectively fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation is simultaneously combatting the rampant spread of misinformation related to COVID-19. This phenomenon is often referred to as an ‘infodemic,’ defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the mass spread of information, factual or nonfactual, during a disease outbreak. In this article, we employ the methods of sociocybernetics analysis to examine the COVID-19 infodemic in Indonesia. We divide this paper into two sections. In the first section, we lay out the current state of the problem in Indonesia -how misinformation has challenged the post-pandemic recovery and changed the dynamics of Indonesian society at all levels, ranging from individuals to the society as-a-whole. In the second section, we propose a model, based on the approach of sociocybernetics, by which we propose to assess this challenge not just as a single entity but as a continuous, looping process, from the conception to the impact it has caused at all levels (micro, meso, and macro) of society. Given the complexity of this issue, we propose to develop an awareness and the education of cybernetics or systems thinking across multiple sectors when dealing with the infodemic in Indonesia.

Optimizing the Use of Digital Technology in Building a Community Network of Consumption of Small and Medium Enterprises’ Products during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Depok, Indonesia

The massive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic which started in the mid-2020 has had a significant impact on the sustainability of the production and marketing activities of goods and services by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In the context of Indonesia, the so-called policy Large Scale Social Restriction encourages small and medium-sized business groups to find strategic ways so that they can continue to carry out production and marketing activities. One of the strategic ways is building a network of people who consume goods by using digital technology. This study analyses the strategies of small and medium-sized business groups in building a community network of the consumption of small and medium-sized business products through digital technology during the COVID-19 pandemic with special reference to the case of Depok, in Indonesia. This is a descriptive qualitative study with interview, observation, and documentation techniques. The findings show that small and medium enterprises use several digital applications to be able to connect individuals to create a consumption group of “common taste” so that those small and medium-sized enterprises could maintain the continuity of selling their goods or products. As a result, this strategic method is proven to be quite beneficial for small and medium business groups.

The Politics of Civilizing the Colony: Haji Hasan Mustapa’s Malay Guidebook on the Etiquette for Acehnese People towards the Dutch in the Netherland East Indies

This article examines how the Dutch colonial government in the Netherland East Indies attempted to civilize its colony through the work on etiquette. It focuses its analysis on the Malay manuscript of Haji Hasan Mustapa on the code of polite behavior for Acehnese in dealing with the Dutch people, Kehormatan kepada Orang Belanda (Cod. Or. 18.097 S9). Hasan Mustapa wrote his work when he served as Chief-Penghulu of Kutaraja, Aceh (1893-1895) and sent it to C. Snouck Hurgronje in Batavia. He wrote the book at the request of Teuku Umar, an Acehnese patriot who used to collaborate with the Dutch authorities. Using a philological analysis, this study suggests that the Dutch authority utilized the native officials to write the etiquette guidebook on speaking and behavior to civilize Acehnese people. Hasan Mustapa’s work on etiquette shows that he played an important role in maintaining the Dutch honor and bridging the interests of the Dutch colonial government in its colony, the Netherland East Indies.

The Role of Women in Islamic Propagation: A Case Study of Tablighi Jamaat’s Nyai of Pesantren Al-Fatah, East Java, Indonesia

This article studies the role of women of the Tablighi Jamaat, a transnational Islamic propagation movement, in the process of Islamic propagation (da’wah) in Indonesia. It aims to analyze the role played by female followers of Tablighi Jamaat in developing da’wah by focusing on the role of nyai (female family members of a religious leader of traditional Islamic learning institution [pesantren]) in developing masturah da’wah in Pesantren Al-Fatah and Temboro Village. This study uses a qualitative approach to understand how nyai of Pesantren Al-Fatah were involved in da’wah activities in Temboro. The required data were collected through observation and interviews. The findings show that like their spouses who were obliged to go for da’wah in the form of khuruj, female followers of Tablighi Jamaat of Pesantren Temboro were assigned to conduct da’wah through masturah, a form of Islamic propagation which was only targeted on, organized and attended by the women of Tablighi Jamaah in Temboro with strict rules such the obligation of wearing face veils for all participants. Nyai of Pesantren Al-Fatah initiated, led, and developed masturah so that Tablighi Jamaat has attracted more followers and religious students and Temboro has experienced significant changes in social, religious, and economic aspects.

Local Elections and Local Politics in Indonesia: Emerging Trends

This article analyses local elections held in the post-Suharto era in Indonesia with a special reference to pilkada (pemilihan kepala daerah langsung [direct elections of local leaders]) between 2005 and 2008. Using the state-society perspective, it argues that local elections have seen the rise of new political dynamics and rapid growth of electoral activity in regions. Pilkada has brought about the emergence of coalitional politics, political ideologies or streams (aliran), the rise of ‘little kings’ (raja kecil), an increasing number of businesspeople entering local politics, the use of gangsters/goons (preman) in local elections, a boom in political consultancy, and the increase of the novote camp. There are grounds for optimism regxarding the intensity of the interaction between the local state and society in the regions. The people in the regions have now had the opportunities to vote for their leaders directly, something which was impossible in the past. There is no doubt that the electoral competition for candidates is going to be very important because the availability of good potential local leaders varies between the regions. Political parties themselves have to improve their performance and build a proper recruitment process so that they can find good candidates who can attract voters.

In Search of the Imagined Ummah: Explaining the Political Crossover of Islamic Conservatism in Indonesia’s 2019 Presidential Election

It has been admitted that the 212 movements constituted not only a socio-religious driving force but also a political one in contemporary Indonesia. In the 2019 presidential election, conservative Islamic camps that had anger and resentments toward President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) as he was regarded incapable of solving crises and keen on discriminating against Islam and ulama came up together to win Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno. Based on qualitative field research in some areas of Indonesia, this article analyses the diffusion of some Islamic groups with their grand narratives and discourses, and their involvement in Prabowo-Sandiaga’s campaign, considered as a fast track of establishing a utopia of the imagined ummah (united Muslim community). In the light of an Islamic activism and social movement theory, it concludes that such a political crossover is a kind of new Islamic activism and social movement. It has not been merely rooted in a conservative outlook of Islam, but also in their dissatisfaction and contention over Jokowi’s social and economic policies. This kind of new Islamic social movement would affect contemporary Indonesian religious and political realms.

Restorying the Experiences of Muslim Women Academics in Indonesian State Islamic Higher Education: A Narrative Inquiry

In the last three decades, women have been the majority of undergraduate students in Indonesian higher education. However, the story is different when it comes to women as academics in Islamic higher education institutions. Compared to their male colleagues, female academics have unequal academic and lower leadership positions. There is a low percentage of female academics who have achieved the academic positions of associate professors or professors. They also have low productivity in research and publications. This article deals with the inequality facing Muslim women academics in Indonesian state Islamic higher education (Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam Negeri [PTKIN]). It asks the question: Do these problems happen due to no opportunities given to Muslim women academics to develop their academic career? In doing so, this article uses narrative inquiry as an approach to revealing the story of Indonesian Muslim academics and the voice of Muslim feminists, which is not internationally acknowledged and recognized. It focuses its analysis on the voice and career experiences of a Muslim woman (Muslimah) academic in an Indonesian state Islamic university using the feminist methodology. It aims to portray how and why female academics face unequal academic achievement. Understanding their voice of higher academic promotion is important to solve the problem of the ‘leaking pipeline’ about genderbased representation in university. The article argues that Indonesian Muslimah academics had low representation at academic advancement as they experienced more barriers than their male colleagues.