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Jakarta Post

Essay: Year of the young: Step up, act now

We are now in the year 2019

Donny Syofyan (The Jakarta Post)
Mon, January 21, 2019

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Essay: Year of the young: Step up, act now

W

span>We are now in the year 2019. Having noticed last New Year’s Eve celebration around the world, it is simply business as usual seen from the way people celebrated it.

In Melbourne, people flocked to Federation Square for a fireworks display. Meanwhile, people in Dubai passed the eve a little differently as a laser show replaced the usual fireworks display.

Looking at our beloved country, people define the New Year with a mixture of grief and optimism. Grief was a prevalent theme in 2018 because of the lives we lost to natural disasters and tragedies. Yet, it was also a year marked with a number of successful events: the Asian Games, Asian Para Games and the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meetings.

Facing 2019, like it or not, optimism for a better life is growing in the country, especially with the presidential election taking place in April.

After having several conversations with people regarding their hopes and dreams for the New Year, I think I can safely say that most Indonesians are looking at 2019 as a political year more than anything else. They are getting ready to elect the country’s next president. This is true and public knowledge, as the public resources — such as finance, media, and human resources — are devoted to making this election year a successful one.

What we seem to forget the fact that 2019 is also a year where digital needs will continue to increase exponentially and on a global scale, and it is the year we must begin to focus our energy on helping the young generation grow.

The presidential election is important in ensuring a smooth and effective government and administration, yet we also need to pay more attention to our young people. Not only are they crucial for the development of our country, they are also the best candidates to take Indonesia straight into the digital age.

Indonesia should be proud of having ample young people who are passionate about contributing to the country’s economic prosperity, better education and civilized employment opportunity through digital means.

Many developed countries like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and those in Europe are struggling with a low birth rate; they have fewer citizens and a greater aging population, owing to increasing life expectancy.

In recent years, we have witnessed how young people pioneered a number of digital apps and services, such as Tokopedia, Bukalapak, Traveloka, GoJek and many others.

This breakthrough plays a momentous role in solving the country’s major problems, such as poverty and job opportunities. In the government, some energetic young people have been involved in the country’s various political posts, such as governors, mayors and regents.

Young people’s engagement with innovation and transformation becomes more evident in terms of technological shift, especially in business. Basic business principles were the same 20 years ago as they are today.

The innovation was already there back then. Business plans, processes, risks, customer services — these basic principles do not change. The change now is that the world is run by the young.

Look at Canada’s prime minister, the president of France, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia or Mark Zuckerberg. The world is run by very energetic, intelligent, young people with high IQs. They think differently, but at the same time, they operate with technology.

With young innovators generating public convenience-oriented apps, digital growth and the importance to keep up with its speed of change is inevitable for companies and organizations if they want to stay relevant.

Have a look at the digital customers of Bukalapak or Tokopedia. They are on 24/7. There is no time to close shop. This 24/7 style is going to be the way people do business. There’s no nine-to-five now. If we do that, we will become irrelevant. Marked by their interest in a flexible way of working and the growth of digital platforms, young people suit this challenge and trend.

Such is the case with YouTube as a very popular platform for social good, activism and free expression. Furthermore, creative and adroit young people use these digital devices as a veritable resource of income.

In Indonesia, the king and queen of YouTube are young people, namely Atta Halilintar, 24, and Ria Ricis, 23. Both are crafting their own success stories on the platform as some of the most likeable YouTubers under the age of 30. Atta has over 8 million subscribers on YouTube so far, while Ricis has 8 million subscribers. The number of their subscribers will surely increase day by day. The more subscribers they have, the more money they get.

The rise of start-ups and its accompanying trends will turn 2019 into a milestone of leadership as more and more young people take charge of the way we live. It is high time the older generation and society give them more room and trust so that they can create watershed moments for the future of the country. Happy New Year.

— The writer, a lecturer at Andalas University, is a doctoral student at Deakin University, Australia.

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