“2014 TRENDS ON INDONESIAN YOUTH” Presentation Guide Book Nowadays, almost every Indonesian youth has at least one smartphone. The use of smartphone has penetrated widely in youth, especially among high school students. Smartphone is used not only to communicate (by means of phone calls or SMS), but also to extends the use of social media. Social media has different kind of platforms, each has capability to expand networking, upload interesting photo, or telling other users about things or activities of its user. Because of its accessibility, social media make tremendous influence on how our society looks like today. In addition to accessing social media, smartphones can also be used to support teenagers daily activities. Gender, religion, area of residence and social economic status influence different usage of smartphone. Besides that, current trends at teenagers’ place of residence will most likely influence their smartphone usage. Below are few examples I gathered from big cities, which I feel suitable to represent diverse society throughout Indonesian archipelago. Dynamic Jakartans Teenagers in Jakarta are role models to teenagers in other cities, especially who lives in Island of Java. Along with the biggest use of internet in Indonesia, around 90,83%, almost every teenager in Jakarta own a smartphone. From the most basic version of Android phone like the IDR700,000 Evercross phones, to the high-end Android-based Samsung Galaxy S4, to iOS-based iPhone 5s. Other than smartphones, they are also familiar with tablet PC. The high use of smartphones that are primarily use to access social media, allowing Jakartan teenagers to absorb current global trends. For example, when Cronuts (croissant-donut) were all the rage between New Yorkers in April 2013, it didn’t take too long for famous local eateries to sell them and the result was overwhelming. Jakarta has also set the trend for retail industry in Southeast Asia, especially establishments of local fashion brands since 2008. Cases mentioned above are related to how Jakartans utilize their smartphones. Pictures of Cronuts and #ootd (Outfit of The Day) that consist of several local fashion brands are the most must-post pictures in Instagram. Other than social media, there are restaurant reviews applications such as ‘Makan Dimana’ which can be used to find a place according to one’s desire. Here are current trends in Jakarta to name a few, along with the supportive smartphone apps. • Run, Jakartans Run! Nike running shoes are the must-have item especially to new runners. Other than the stylish design itself, most of them can also be connected to Nike+ smartphone app through the chip in the shoes. Nike+ app is equipped with GPS and accelerator to track distance, pace, time, even calories burned during the run. The combination between sport and technology cost a lot of money as well, one must spend around Rp 3 million to have both shoes and Nike+ chip. This trend was allegedly started by runner community named Jakarta 10k Run. Basically started from high number of related posts on Instagram and other platforms, it has evolved to be a new subculture in the end. Running events has also attracted a large number of participants, like Bajak Jakarta (Hijack Jakarta) and The Color Run. • Fine Dining to-Go Teenagers in Jakarta are easily attracted to beautifully-arranged food, in addition to the concept of the restaurant itself. Based on the mini research I did on Instagram, almost every teenager who loves food hunting follows Singapore-based food blogger Brad Lau (@ladyironchef). His blog now holds the position as one of the world’s most-visited food review blog. Brad Lau has been reviewing restaurants in his home country and abroad but Jakartan teenagers look up to his choice of dining or style of food photography. As a guide to find restaurants or new hang out places in Jakarta, “The Jakarta Food Guide”, “Sendok Garpu”, and Instagram remain to be the go-to smartphone apps among youngsters in Jakarta. • The Unlike Traveling Jakartan teenagers usually come from well-traveled families. Parents’ traveling style can also influence their children as well. In such young age, the influence coming from their peers is also significant in shaping behavior, pattern of traveling in this case. If one of their friends posted his/her pictures from a trip on Facebook/Instagram, It is most likely to be adapted to one’s itinerary. While traveling a la tourist is very common, youngsters alike are now racing to find the ‘roads less travelled’. To compare, a picture taken on rue Saint-Honoré would be most likely to get more ‘likes’ on Instagram than a picture taken at Eiffel Tower. Strolling West Village would be more chosen than walking on the usual tourist path, Times Square. A picture of beautifully-arranged food for brunch at small local Singaporean eateries would invite more comments than a picture of food in bigger restaurants at shopping malls. Apps like “The Unlike City Guide” become teenagers’ guide to travel. Not to forget the major ones like “Lonely Planet” and “Condé Nast Traveler”. • Insta-Famous Jakartans They’re not actors, musicians, or politicians’ children. They’re just the usual Jakartan teenagers, only with photogenic face, sense of style, and trained eyes in finding objects to capture or distinctive editing style, easily make them as most-followed Instagram accounts. Their followers (more than 10,000) are on par with that of local Indonesian celebrities’. Not only in Jakarta, these Insta-Famous Jakartans are also followed by many in other cities. Trends Among Teenagers in Denpasar Denpasar, including the Kuta-Legian-Seminyak and other areas, known for its nightlife/never stop partying until dawn. Typical day in Denpasar starts with lazing out on the beach, hangout at the bar in the evening, then party until dawn. The aforementioned itinerary is now only applicable to tourists, but how about the locals? A well-balanced life and back-to-nature has become a lifestyle for Balinese teenagers. This is in fact not a latest trend, it’s a cycle in Bali. • Yoga on The Go Bali is a predominantly Hindu province. Teenagers are now beginning to learn about Yoga. Derived from Sanskrit word meaning “union with nature or the Creator”, is one of six teachings in Hindu philosophy, focusing on meditation where someone focus all five senses to control the mind and body as a whole. Type of Yoga that is now favored by Balinese teenagers is the Anti-Gravity Yoga, which is a combination of Yoga, Pilates and Aerial Acrobatics. This type of Yoga is almost like Cirque de Soleil for gym-goers and also Yoga. Attending Anti-Gravity Yoga class is not cheap, it will cost about Rp 150,000 per session. However, this doesn’t mean this type of oldest meditation in the world can only be enjoyed by fewer groups of teenagers only. There are self-taught Yoga tutorial apps such as Yoga Tutorials popular among the teenagers in Denpasar. Not only cheaper, these applications have been practical for users to practice Yoga anytime and anywhere. • Organic Farming Not only healthy from the outside, teenagers in Bali has become very concerned about the food they are consuming. For this reason most of the teenagers in Bali that have been exposed to the healthy lifestyle of the expats, began turning to organic food-eating. At first the organic food sold at steep prices and only available in gourmet/international supermarkets. However, in line with Organic Farming trend, a teenager can eat Caesar Salad with less than Rp 30,000. Organic farming can be easily done, given the vast rice fields on the island of Bali, and the high demand of both local and expats of organic groceries. Smartphone applications like Organic Farming and Organic Valley became the mandatory apps for teenagers who are concerned with this trend. • Local, Sustainable & Organic If Jakartan teenagers prefer café with slight European or American concept, the Organic Café is now being favored by teenagers in Bali. The hype surrounding Organic Café is characterized by the large number of pictures posted on Instagram by its teen visitors. Besides that, there are online shop on Instagram which offer a number of practical organic dishes. In addition to organic food, organic trend is also worn by teenagers in Denpasar. For example, Seminyak area which is hailed as the the new Legian gets filled by a number of boutiques which carry numerous brand of organic clothing. Teenagers also begin pursuing home-based retail business that sells organic in it. In the past you may often saw Barong cotton shirt, but now Barong-patterned eco-friendly t-shirt is being popular among teenagers in Denpasar. • The Brighter Side of Bali The nightlife in Kuta is now getting forgotten by many as the hype declined. In addition to the frequent occurrence of cases of high crime, Kuta is known as the Tourist Trap. The result is now Denpasar Teens prefer to hangout in Seminyak, the new haven for the locals that are certainly no less interesting with SCBD area in Jakarta. Rebellious Jayapura Nestled far away from the capital, Jayapura has its own ongoing trend among teens. Black culture has become the biggest trend the city has ever adapted because they share the same sentiment with African-Americans or Africans in general—being minorities. While adapting foreign culture, teenagers in Jayapura still hold close to their native culture and tend to be religious. Very few of them have iPhone 5s and other advanced smartphones because the tax in the city is likely to be high. However, most of them buy smartphones and other gadgets in Makassar or even in Jakarta. Besides that, Instagram is now starting to get into the lifestyle of young people in Papua, however the use of Twitter in this city is very high, compared to previous years. Similarly, Facebook is still the social media platform that is most visited by teens in Papua on daily basis. • Black Culture The African-American Culture, also known as Black Culture is a culture that was born in the era of the New World, specifically as a form of rebellion of the slaves. Black culture doesn’t just exist in the United States alone, but in other Caucasian occupied countries, only in America this culture is far more developed rapidly and massively. Cultural aspects that are affected by the Black Culture include music, art, literature, and of course fashion. Now, many teenagers sporting dreadlock hairstyle, clothes and speaking style a la rapper in this city. It is based to whatever they post on social media. • Black Music As I mentioned earlier, Black Culture is a trend that is affecting the lives of teenagers in Jayapura. Black Music itself is a part of Black Culture, where music is defined as a weapon for social criticism. Big names like Iwanouz, Black Brothers and Lala Suwages are popular local musicians among teenagers to name a few. For Indonesian musicians, they tend to like a musician with the flow of R&B and Hip Hop such as Agnes Monica, Emily Laras, Bondan Prakoso and Ras Mohammad. For international musicians, of course, big names like Bob Marley is equivalent to universally adored Jesus Christ. • Quoting the Holy Bible Quoting Biblical verses is now a trend among the predominantly Christian and Catholic province. The quote is usually found in the shirts they wear, postings on their Tumblr and Instagram. Apps like Daily Bible Verses becomes one of the most favorite apps by teens in Jayapura. Trends Among Teenagers in Manado • Japanese (J-pop) Wave Actually, the trend of Japanese pop culture has evolved since the 90s, which is precisely when Doraemon, Japanese Rock band Larc-en-Ciel and pop singer like Utada Hikaru and Ayumi Hamasaki also spread the virus in Indonesia. In early 2000s, there were the well-received Japanese culinary trends such as Sushi and Konyaku Jelly, in fashion department Gwen Stefani popularized dressing a la Harajuku style. If Jakarta and major cities in Indonesia are now being “attacked” by the K-Pop virus, then Manado still remains loyal to J-Pop. Cosplay or costume festival a la anime figures is now being favored by teenagers in Manado. There are a number of very well known communities among teens like COVER Club Manado, stands for Cosplay Otaku and Japanese Lover Club. Inside COVER Club itself, in addition to often hold their Cosplay they also help organize Japanese Pop culture festivals. Besides being active in the Cosplay festival, teenagers in Manado also really like J-Pop music. It is characterized by a high number of J-Pop themed music events in this city. Sharing information about such events must be done through the official twitter accounts of the J-Pop Manado clubs and Indonesian anime forum like kaoriforum. In addition to exchanging information on the latest events, they often hold a gathering with fellow members. • Big Reality TV Shows Fan From Indonesian Idol, X Factor, to The Voice Indonesia, these are favorite TV shows among the teenagers in Manado who many of them also happen to like singing. Singing in the church has also expanded to their preferred TV shows. Not only that, they also like pageant or modeling-themed reality shows. On a random note, if you look at the map, Manado and Manila, The Philippines are not that far. Teenagers in Manila also like reality shows with these themes as well. Reality show fans in Manado mainly communicate through forums such as detik and others. Trends Among Teenagers in Medan Medan is the largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya. Most of the teenagers in the city have iPhone or Samsungs latest series. Of course, this might be caused by the lower tax in Medan than on the island of Java. By using the most advanced smartphone, not a single teenager in Medan is left behind on the latest technology trend with teenagers in Java. If gaming app Angry Birds is popular in Jakarta, then so is in Medan. While there were no significant differences between teenagers in Medan and other major cities, the strong Batak and Malay culture might influence trend for its youth. • Metal Heads Bataknese is often characterized as tough and assertive, this might also influence one’s preferred music genre. In Medan, Heavy Metal is the genre that is on trend right now, however this has existed since 1980s. Almost every male teenager like Heavy Metal, no wonder there is fast growing number of Metal concerts held in the city. One of the most famous is the annual Psychoterium Medan Metalfest. Websites like songkick and Soundcloud are their favorites as well. • Online shops Located far from Jakarta doesnt mean they cant catch up on latest fashion trends. Many Instagram online shops are based in Medan, and so are their followers. As of now, Instagram is Medan teenagers go-to place to find anything they want. From imported fashion goods, newest gadget accessories, to Jakartans favorite on-trend food. • Forums & Blogs To make them easier keeping up with the latest trend, Medan teenagers usually are registered in some niche/segmented forums according to their hobby or interests. Boys who like automotive frequently go to modifikasi, when denimheads go to darahkubiru. Girls who like fashion usually registered at fashionesedaily. When fashion bloggers in Jakarta decreasing due to heavy using of new sharing platforms, many of Medan girls are so into fashion blogging right now. Compared to other cities other than Jakarta and Bandung, teenagers in Medan tend to be more experimental and expressive in their personal style. Many of famous Indonesian fashion bloggers are hailing from Medan; however most of them are of Chinese descent. It seems like new bloggers from Medan posting new things almost everyday to catch up on their seniors, but look up to them as well. Based on Subculture Different SES also shape behavior pattern of teenagers in Indonesia. Based on heterogenous Jakartans, I try to classifying teenagers based on their Subculture. A. The Young Socialites They all come from families with well-known last names. Their father might be holding an important position in government or a CEO of a private company. They usually got their high school diploma from international institute, national plus schools or private institution, while bachelor degree acquired through reputable state universities, private universities and even some might obtained degree at Ivy League universities in the United States or reputable EU universities. With a family of very well-educated, well-known and well-Traveled, this group can easily blend in with citizens of the world, especially those who have the same social status. Their lifestyle often got imitated by The Wannabes class (see below), even some of the lifestyle they have contributed to later trends in several circles underneath. For example, fine-dining trend that is now already celebrated upon the middle class. • Hollywood Culture Bling Ring (2013) by Sofia Copolla, mirroring the lifestyle of teenagers from this class. The only difference is they don’t steal and do other criminal activities to get what they want—their parents already provide them with the glamorous Hollywood life. Many of them who have lived in western part of United States (West Coast) are familiar with the style. Also happens to students of international or national plus schools. Their thinking, lifestyle, even their accent are very influenced by the Hollywood culture. Hollywood culture among The Young Socialites has become apparent especially when #richkidsofinstagram became a phenomenon on Instagram. Dorothy Wang, one of the “founder” of this hashtag, has an infamous Indonesian friend. Big names like Kim Kardashian also plays a huge role for teenagers in this social class. • The Fashion Conscious Appearance is one aspect which must distinguish one with the others in this social status. With an unlimited budget, they can easily own famous brands that should be worn by their parents, such as Hermès, Rolex, Chanel and Goyard. It is based on high intensity they will travel to other countries, fashion trends will be more easy to be absorbed. Coupled with heavy use of Instagram, they can easily find a fashion blogger or a socialite to be their role model in collecting high end designer items. They wear it less when not attending events related to fashion. Typically, a collection of designer goods and also their photographs at the time of the event at Jakarta are often posted on social media, especially Instagram. • Fine Dining Trend Before high-end restaurants offer fine dining concept with more affordable price in Jakarta, The Young Socialites had tried them beforehand including ones in abroad. Ladurée Macarons, DC Cupcakes, Sprinkles, Sacher Torte from Mozart Café Austria, TWG tea, French Bakery Paul and Pierre Hermé are many example of famous bakeries/sweets boutiques abroad before becoming immensely popular between Indonesian teenagers. As the trend fades, nowadays they prefer traditional Chinese Fine Dining Restaurant at Orient8 & Dapur Babah Elite. • Concert-goers VIP seats at Justin Bieber, Katy Perry or Maroon 5 concerts always filled by them. They will go to any concert they like. It’s not a rare sight to see many of them going to their favorite musicians’ home country to see them live. Not only that, if they were rich enough and have balls to ask their parents, they could have their favorite singer flown to sing at their birthday party! B. The Unnamed, Unlabeled. Their last names are also quite well-known. Similar to TYS, their fathers must hold important positions in their respective companies as well. They went to famous public or private schools, graduated from top public or private universities at home or abroad. They are as wealthy as TYS, but they don’t want to shove their status’ on others’ faces. • Strong European Culture They don’t really like the glitzy glamour of Hollywood. But that doesn’t mean they are less wealthy compared to TYS. Most of them grew up appreciating arts, thanks to their families. They look up to influential Europeans, from filmmaker to fashion designers. No wonder they have “tasteful” lifestyle compared to the Hollywood-praising TYS. • Fashion cult Teens from this group don’t really like branded items like ones worn by The Young Socialites. They tend to prefer brands with strong European influence. By more “European”, they like brands with minimalist design that will be more easily blend in with other social classes, not with the price tags though. For example: Jil Sander, Maison Martin Margiela and Raf Simons. • The Unlike Traveling If TYS visited Los Angeles, this group preferred Portland, Oregon. If they went to Singapore, TYS might have stayed at Mandarin Oriental, while The Unnamed stayed at Wanderlust Hotel. Teens from this group likes to try unique new things and stay away from places with many Indonesian tourists. They always try to find places that are frequently visited by the locals. • Music Festival Goers From musical side, The Unnamed prefer indie musicians compared to the mainstream ones, thanks to their upbringing. Their biggest musical dream is to witness music festivals like Glastonbury and Coachella, because their favorite bands or singers made most of the lineup. C. The Wannabes They come from well-to-do families. Their fathers also have an important role in their respective companies. Mosf of them drive the latest city car and own high-end gadgets. But their families aren’t as wealthy as the two mentioned above. While they have parents who can always afford to pay their lifestyle, this group wouldn’t touch sport cars or branded items. They only dream to have them because they tend to idolize Hollywood culture—even some of them dream to join The Young Socialites. Alas, they ended up idolizing them. They followed the Fine Dining trend, but with less intensity from The Young Socialites. It also becomes evident through their dressing style, but they can only afford the secondary/sister label of thei favorite high end brands like See by Chloe and Marc by Marc Jacobs. The guys like to collect sport cars miniatures, because they can only dream to drive one. This social group utilize any on-trend social media platforms like Path and Instagram. Not only to communicate and posting pictures, Instagram is used to get closer to “The Young Socialites”. They are also fast to absorb new trends. ---- D. The Hipsters Anti-mainstream is one word that defines them best. Same with “The Wannabes”, they come from well to do families. The different thing is they don’t really like the unrealistic and cliché world of Hollywood Culture. That’s why they truly idolize “The Unnamed, Unlabeled” because this subculture is deemed to be more attractive and possess higher quality than the former. The Hipsters like anything “urban”, they always support “underrated” ones, like traveling to Myanmar, exhibitions held by local artists, indie band concerts and local fashion brands and medias. They utilize almost every social media platform available, particularly Path and Instagram. Other than those, they also like unique platforms like Vine, Mavensay, and Snapchat. E. The Try-Hards They come from middle class families, most of them go to public or private schools that aren’t so well-known in suburban areas of Jakarta. They really idolize young Indonesian celebrities, and following the lifestyle that of The Wannabes’ because they think they just similar to their idols. Because of their financial, they cannot afford to buy original branded items. They rely on marketplace websites/portals to catch on trends. For example, they buy promo voucher at Living Social before heading to fancy restaurants and following Instagrams/Facebook online shops to buy knock-off designer items. This class is deemed to be pretty late when it comes to trend. Their lateness is most likely caused because they are still in the early stages of using social media platforms, still adapting to the latest technology. F. Anak Distro (Distro Kids) “Distro” itself is a phenomenon popular during early 2000s (particularly on 2004-2007) when local boutiques produced their own clothing. When it was in its heyday, Distro was one of many go-to place for youngsters to shop their clothes. But the trend faded when international mass-product retailers like Zara, Topman, Topshop, Mango and others expanded to Indonesia, offering stylish and easy-to-wear clothing items with affordable price. However, we can still find teenagers who are still active in the “distro” scene until now. Unlike The Try-Hards who idolizes The Wannabes, “Anak Distro” tend to dislike Hipsters because they are “western-minded” or sok bule in this case. Most of them come from middle-lower family with decent income, going to not so well-known suburban public or private schools. As of trends, they don’t really pay attention to it and they really like local independent emo or hardcore artists. Some of them work a bit in “Distro” as well. G. Alay This is the lowest tier in Jakarta socio-economic status. They usually come from middle lower class, have never reached high school, and almost everyone of them works as shop clerk at suburban Jakarta malls. Music shows on TV such as Dahsyat, etc. has become their routine in the morning. Then followed by watching soap operas at night when they go home. To hangout, they prefer minimarkets like 7-11, Circle K and also Alfamart. Many of them own a secondhand Blackberry or Chinese-made knock-off smartphones. Facebook chat and Twitter are social medias they frequently use. While sites such as kaskus.co.id is one of the sites that must be visited in a day.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 05:19:38 +0000