Netnographic Analysis of Public Responses to Private Sector Electronic System Operators Registration in Indonesia
Abstract
At the end of 2021, the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information (Kemenkominfo) ratified Ministerial Regulation Num. 5 of 2020 regulating Electronic System Operators (PSE) for Private Sector. Previously, the central government has regulated the electronic system operator in the Government Regulation (PP.) Num. 71 of 2019. Based on the PP. 71 of 2019 Art. 1, PSE is every person, government administrator, business entity, and community that provides, manages, and or operates an electronic system individually or jointly to electronic system users for their own needs and or the needs of other parties. PSE is divided into PSE in public sector and PSE in private sector. Public sector PSE is the operation of the electronic system by the government or an institution appointed. While the private sector PSE is the operation of an electronic system by persons, business entities, and the public. A new regulation issued by the ministry requires private electronic service companies to register with the electronic system operator (PSE).
The regulation caused various negative responses and protests from the public because of the threat of blocking and discontinuing several global platforms such as WhatsApp, Line, Facebook, Steam, PayPal, etc. if these platforms did not immediately register with PSE. The public foresees the possibility of various difficulties that will arise if the regulation is strictly enforced. The platforms that will be blocked by Kemenkominfo are digital platforms supporting basic communication, entertainment, and financial activities and needs.
Social media occupies a critical position in social life. The number of social media users in Indonesia has increased every year. Initially, social media was used to establish relationships and networks between one user and another. Currently, social media is also a means for someone to have an opinion, express an opinion, likes, dislikes, and so on. We want to examine public reactions and responses regarding the threat of site blocking and PSE regulations mentioned in social media platforms. We limit our research area to only three platforms, they are YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram. Various issues circulated on social media related to this regulation, such as taxation issues, cyber security, and consumer data protection. The analytical method we use is netnography.
According to Kozinets (2016), netnographers suppose that cyberspace is a new world with all its social phenomena shaping a new culture through social interactions in it. Netnography focuses on online communities (netizens) and data that appears in online communities. The main emphasis of this method is not on the precision, but on the meaning. Through an analysis of interactions between person to person, person to public, person to machine and vice versa, we seek to understand the meaning of the various responses to the PSE.
Negative responses from Indonesian netizens can be seen from the comments on several social media. In addition, protests were also carried out through satire, such as by creating a fake search engine 'https://gatotkaca.mooo.info', and through cyberattack launched by hackers with the Twitter nickname 'Bjorka'.
Keywords: netnography, electronic system, operator, Kemenkominfo, registration