Western Technology and Capitalism's Impact on Indonesia

Western Technology and Traditional Life in Indonesia

In a heavily populated developing nation like Indonesia, technology has devastated traditional ways of life and disrupted centuries-old customs and values. Whereas subsistence farming was once the primary means for small-scale communities and families to survive in the lush tropical environment, Western farming technologies and especially agro-business have replaced indigenous farming methods. Although rice paddies are still tilled by animals like oxen and Indonesian people still use hand tools for farming, large-scale farming has been slowly but systematically replacing small community and family farms. Technology that allows rice to be grown year-round disrupts the environment, sometimes wreaking havoc on the land and causing flooding. Moreover, rice and other crops are more than staple foods for the Indonesian people. Social customs and rituals revolve around rice: its cultivation, harvest, and consumption. When centuries of tradition are swept away by Western technological and commercial innovations, the result is often social, political, and economic strife.

Likewise, Western technologies are replacing traditional forms of entertainment in Indonesia. The ancient arts of dance, song, and stage play are starting to fade while more glamorous Western films and television shows are becoming increasingly popular with Indonesians of all ages. Younger generations in particular are more enamored with Western entertainment and cultural values than with their ancestors' traditions. The effect that technology has on family and community life cannot be underestimated. For example, whole communities would once gather together to watch a ritual dance, but now nuclear families stay at home to watch television or play video games. Communities, families, and individuals are modeling their lifestyles after what they perceive as Western ideals. The speed at which these changes are taking place is both astonishing and disturbing, and it frequently leads to direct conflict.

American Capitalism and Indonesian Society

The United States has had both positive and negative impacts on the lives of individuals living in developing nations. Powerful American business interests have edged their way into local communities in countries like Indonesia. Whereas small artisans once ruled the marketplace, craftsmen and trades workers now churn out goods on a mass scale to be sold to large American, East Asian, or European corporations. Rural communities are being torn apart by globalization and capitalism as youth relocate to urban centers to find work instead of remaining in their communities and devoting their labor to the immediate needs of their families. Because agriculture has been largely re-appropriated by large companies based on the American model — or even run by Americans — there are fewer and fewer opportunities to maintain traditional ways of life in Indonesia.

The American business model and the capitalist ideal have infiltrated nearly every aspect of Indonesian society, transforming the way people live and work. Not all of the changes taking place are negative, however. Before American culture influenced that of Indonesia, local elites controlled a vast amount of wealth and power, creating what can accurately be described as a caste system — or, more precisely, a form of feudalism. Without any possibility for a middle class to emerge, many individuals remained impoverished and beholden to the landowning class. The influence of American culture has allowed a middle class to develop. Large corporations hire local managers and community liaisons, opening economic pathways that did not previously exist.