Creating Community through Design: The Case of Go-Jek Online

Natadjaja, Listia and SETYAWAN, PAULUS BENNY (2016) Creating Community through Design: The Case of Go-Jek Online. IJCCI - International Journal of Cultural and Creative Industries, 4 (1). pp. 18-27. ISSN 2309-6640 (print) 2311-9527 (online)

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Abstract

The Internet has changed the social patterns and the behavior of Indonesian society. It provides business and employment opportunities, as well as a wide range of information on economic, social, political, and cultural issues. The problem is that the Internet also diminishes real relationships. This has occurred in the community of motorcycle taxis (known in Indonesia as ojek). Formerly, ojek drivers form a community and a physical gathering place. With the development of online technology in the form of an app called Go-Jek, an online transportation service for motorcycle taxi, drivers no longer meet face to face or come together in one community. The question is thus how Go-Jek drivers interact and relate to each other. The aim of this study is to see the effect of the online application on the community that previously had social relations at its base and were found on every street corner. This is a qualitative research using a phenomenological approach. The findings showed that Go-Jek online terminated access to a real relationship among the drivers and replaced it with an imagined community. Using the analytical perspective of Imagined Communities by Ben Anderson, we find that there is still a sense of solidarity, fraternity, and comradeship among Go-Jek drivers, who are united by design. The green color on the attributes of the jacket and helmet not only makes Go-Jek a real and formal corporation, but also creates a sense of trust and safety. For the driver, the green color has the power to bring solidarity that unites the community of Go-Jek drivers in an imagined community.

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