SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE ON SOCIETY DYNAMICS AND PUBLIC POLICY MAKING
Abstract
Internet as super highway of mind, a monumental evidence of technology sophistication, a living proof of rapidly information shift, has brought tremendous change in our daily and social life. Social media, as part of it, has become our need to communicate digitally, in such an elaborate way, media that represents many perspectives, rapidly changed into crucial keywords and trending topics.
Yogyakarta, as one of the big cities in Indonesia known as ’Kota Pelajar’, contribute largely in the Social Media, thanks to its youngsters. A city with 63 % of internet penetration rates, came second after Jakarta, according to APJII in 2014. Yogyakarta also known as the favorite destination for tourists, with great deal of tourism potential, also has emerging social issue related to tourism phenomenon. #JogjaOraDidol are some of the trending topics on social media, which showed public concern about the rampant construction of hotels in Yogyakarta, affecting socially amongst Yogyakarta citizen.
Social media’s trending topics could be considered as information, though hardly worthy, by the lack of definite validity standards. These particular information should not be missed by policy makers who took a significant role in managing Yogyakarta as tourism destinations and also a comfortable city to live for its citizens. Undeniably, Social media has become a source of information that can be selected and used as a basis in determining a campaign strategy in a digital world that discuss social issues in the community.
This research is seeks to describe the process of data analysis using particular tool to derive data based on specific keywords or trending topics, and presents those data on statistical graphics and numbers, that can be used as analysis elements to formulate public policy dealing with social issues.