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More turn to social media, instant messaging for Idul Fitri greetings
In the past the arrival of Idul Fitri greetings card from friends or colleagues marked the imminent end of the month of Ramadhan and the beginning of the Idul Fitri holiday. Nowadays a flurry of messages and social media posts serves the same purpose.
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A person uses a mobile phone. Telecommunications companies have revealed that they enjoy significant growth in data traffic during Idul Fitri as more people exchange greetings with each other through instant messaging or share greetings via their social media account. (Shutterstock.com/Denys Prykhodov)
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n the past the arrival of Idul Fitri greeting cards from friends or colleagues signaled the imminent end of the month of Ramadhan and the beginning of the Idul Fitri holiday.
Like Ketupat (boiled rice cones), Idul Fitri greeting cards, through which senders ask recipients for forgiveness for any mistakes they have made in the past, have long been associated with the holiday.
However, the tradition has rapidly shifted, with people turning to instant messenger services and social media to express Idul Fitri greetings.
“It's been years since I got my last Idul Fitri greeting card,” Rusli Fachruddin, 59, told The Jakarta Post on Friday. “Now email and WhatsApp messages are more common,” he said.
Rusli said he had also stopped sending greeting cards and shifted to WhatsApp and social media for cost efficiency and practicality.
Telecommunications companies have revealed that they enjoy significant growth in data traffic during Idul Fitri as more people exchange greetings with each other through instant messaging or share greetings via their social media account.
Adita Irawati, Telkomsel's vice president of corporate communications, said the company recorded a more than 78 percent nationwide increase in data traffic a day before Idul Fitri compared to regular days. The number has slightly increased from 2015, in which Idul Fitri data traffic showed a 75 percent increase.
PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL) has revealed a 130 percent increase in data traffic during the Idul Fitri period compared to the same period last year.
“We have predicted that social media and instant messaging will be used more for Lebaran greetings,” XL chief service management officer Yessie D. Yosetya said. (dmr)
