Yogyakarta, November 13th 2023—Research Days 2023 is being held again by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM. This year, the theme raised is closely related to the role of the academic world and science in the dynamics of society with the title “Committed to Science for a Better Society”. This event is open to all researchers and experts to contribute their thoughts as a form of contribution to current issues.
“For universities, research and dissemination are very important. Of course, the dissemination that we do is not only to show that we are active enough, but also to ensure our contribution to the various transformations that are taking place,” said the Dean of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM, Wawan Mas’udi, S.IP., MPA, Ph.D. For the last two years, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM has been committed to focusing on three main topics in its research, namely climate change, digital transformation, and the substance of democracy, which is society. These three are also the main topics in Research Day 2023 which will be held from 13-17 November 2023.
More than 100 researchers are actively involved in more than 70 research titles, both lecturers, experts, and students. There are various interesting issues raised in this research, such as journalism practices on social media, community land disputes, and politics in the public sphere. “The contribution of social and political science is starting to be questioned. Where is our contribution? One, understand, then explain, and then contribute to the changes that are taking place,” Wawan added.
Apart from that, this event also thoroughly dissected the latest book published by Fisipol UGM with the title “Social and Political Science of the Future: Answering Megashift?”. The development of digital technology has changed people’s life patterns in various aspects. Data shows that as many as 213 million Indonesians actively use the internet. This figure has increased significantly from year to year and is believed to continue to skyrocket along with massive internet penetration in Indonesia. For this reason, adjustments are needed in all fields, starting from education, the economy, employment, and even politics.
Approaching the 2024 political year, digital media seems to be starting to be used consistently by many political candidates. Open debate and unlimited interaction make it an ideal place for political candidates to build their reputations. This is what causes democracy to need to be completely transformed so that the meaning of democracy can encompass various practices in digital media. “Data in today’s political world is very valuable. It is even considered more valuable than gold. “This data is widely used by policymakers to remain present in the community, to hear their aspirations,” explained R.A Yashinta Sekarwangi Mega, UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Alumni who was also a speaker representing the younger generation in the book review.
The development of the digital world is considered unlimited. While several countries, including Indonesia, are still trying to adapt to the latest technological developments, the latest technology is emerging which is increasingly causing new disruptions. Aldrin Hasyim, General Manager of External Corporate Communication at Telkomsel, explained that Indonesia has not expressed readiness and urgency in accepting new developments, such as 5G internet services. “We tried in 2018 that 5G was able to control an autonomous car (automatic/driverless car). You can imagine what kind of disruption he will create. But if we look at Indonesia, internet use is still limited to connectivity. So there is no urgency required yet. That is still being discussed at this time because it also requires cooperation from various stakeholders,” he said.
Research Day 2023 is not only concrete evidence of the contribution of the scientific field in responding to current issues but is also a commitment to the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM to realize the points of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These points include handling climate change (point 13), strong institutions/government (point 16), and quality education (point 4). It is hoped that Research Day 2023 will open up opportunities and discussion space for experts and policymakers to jointly design strategies toward a Golden Indonesia 2045.