Televisi Indonesia di Bawah Kapitalisme Global

by Ade Armando

Buku ini mengisahkan bagaimana televisi swasta Indonesia menjadi pasar potensial bagi produk industri hiburan asing, menjadis arana pembentuk gaya hidup masyarakat (yang bersahabat dengan kepentingan kapitalisme golbal), hingga menjadi sarana pemasaran merek-merek global.

Tidak hanya berteori, buku ini menggunakan data perkembangan industri televisi di Indonesia untuk mengisahkan sejarah dan cerita menarik di balik industri televisi - sejak era TVRI memonopoli siaran televisi di Indonesia.

Menurut Ade Armando, tanpa sadar, industri televisi swasta di Indonesia menjadi alat untuk meleburkan masyarakat Indonesia ke dalam kapitalisme global. Sayangnya, bukan sebagai produsen, tetapi sebagai konsumen yang menjadikan diri sebagai "pasar yang ramah" terhadap produk-produk yang dikirim negara-negara industri maju.

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“Buku ini penting untuk melengkapi cara pandang kita pada industri media, khususnya televisi, yang merupakan bagian dari kapitalisme global. Buku ini menawarkan cara pandang (perspektif) ilmu komunikasi kritis dalam melihat perkembangan industri media di Indonesia. Perspektif ilmu komunikasi kritis terkadang membuat sejumlah orang menjadi gerah, apakah itu akademikus yang terlalu mapan, ataukah para industriawan yang telah banyak mengeruk keuntungan dari komodifikasi siaran televisi. Buku ini menawarkan suatu cara pandang lain untuk memberikan keberimbangan dalam melihat fenomena industri media tak sekedar suatu komodifikasi terus-menerus tetapi juga menawarkan sejumlah pertanyaan menantang: betulkah dalam situasi seperti ini Indonesia akan semata menjadi pasar belaka? Apakah tak ada suatu arus balik ( contra flow ) yang bisa dilakukan melihat perkembangan kapitalisme global?”
(Ign. Haryanto Peneliti senior Lembaga Studi Pers dan Pembangunan dan pengajar jurnalistik di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara)


“Jika kita ingin memahami bagaimana motif-motif kapitalisme mempengaruhi segala praktik yang berhubungan dengan proses produksi, distribusi, dan konsumsi informasi, maka buku ini mampu memenuhi keingintahuan kita tentang bagaimana campur tangan penguasa dan pengusaha (melalui berbagai strateginya) menentukan isi siaran televisi kita. Salah satu buku rujukan yang bernilai bagi mereka yang berminat dalam kajian ekonomi politik media.“
(Dr. Pinckey Triputra Ketua Departemen Ilmu Komunikasi, FISIP UI)

Paperback

First published July 18, 2016

Reviews

[Halomoan Sirait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Studi Kapitalisme Media sebenarnya observasi pengetahuan seluk beluk kepemilikan modal dan isi media, berpihak pada pemilik modal atau penontonnya. Sekelas UI, Ade Armando terlalu bermain data empiris hingga tafsirannya kaku dan kurang inspiratif untuk saya pelaku industri media.

[melancholinary · Rating 4 out of 5]

So what's wrong with Indonesian television? A homogenous culture massively portrayed by the private-own commercial television stations creating a fantasy of 'life's good' for everyone. Avoiding marginal people's misery, and centralised what considered to be hip and cool: Jakarta's middle class hedonistic hegemony. That is what's wrong.

Armando's book dissect the implication of global capitalist strategy of "imperialism with consent" through the history of, apparently, television station in Indonesia—his argument is whether in public or commercial television, global capitalism will eventually penetrated the Indonesian society. The imperialistic nature of information and communication technology that being produced by the West makes Indonesia as a big market, creating a consumer habit for cultural product shipped from the West—interesting fact: TV series from the State is not that popular in Indonesia back then, this is because people felt distance with the culture though programmes that come from India, Japan and Korea are always hit. Through football match that being shown on TV from the early 90's, Armando brilliantly explained how in the later years Indonesian could go crazy with football clubs that aren't event related to them (i.e. English premiere league clubs or La Liga) and creating a huge market for football business. This is a microcosm of the relation between Indonesian and television: creating a consumer culture.

Armando also argue that Indonesian models its media regulation—especially television—from the US. According to him, the right model for a better media regulation is to create a public media like BBC. The effect of shaping media regulation and circulation like the US is the rating system, in which the media could only think about things like profit and viewership. This creates many programmes focused only to the rating system; a good public discussion is even avoided—or if it existed it will exploit the entertainment factor of what makes a public discussion thrilling, not the critical thinking.

There are lots of interesting historical anecdote that I'd love to read if it explored and published separately. The story of emerging pirated radio in the Soekarno era is one of them. There is a good story around there about the effort to mass mobilised protester through pirated radio, as well as it roles on promoting Western music. Another interesting bits is also lied on the fact that American use film distribution business as a way to intimidate developed countries. This monopoly action apparently could change one country stabilisation. The story of how Indonesian were outsmarted the government—when at the time very proud of their "open sky policy" and letting television station from South East Asia rented country's transponder through Palapa satellite—by pirating satellite to watch neighbour country's television station is also fascinating. It would be a great dissertation if that case looked from the perspective of media archeology.

Overall this book offers an interesting fact, narrative and argument on how the television distribution in Indonesia is merely a tool to expand the global capitalism. The television in Indonesia is not making people critical and smarter—I doubt if television in general is making people critical—it creates class disparity. Albeit there is also notable Indonesian produced programme for public, the massive wave of cultural product that come from outside is inevitable. As a person who was born in the age of globalisation, grew up with American horror films and enjoying anime and manga, this book put me in a hard position. Force me to rethinking my role as the opposition for capitalist system. Anyway, very good read!