The advertising business opportunities on digital media in Indonesia become wide open due to the increasing number of Internet users among young people who became users of social networking sites: Facebook and Twitter. It is recorded that the number of Facebook users in Indonesia is the second largest in the world, i.e, 35 million people. As for users of Twitter, Indonesia became the fourth largest in the world with 5 million users.
Chairman of the International Association of Indonesian scientists (I4), Dr. Nasir Tamara, D.E.A, D.E.S.S, mentions that the number of digital media users provides a great potential for e-commerce market which is estimated at 172.9 billion rupiah. Of this amount, only 35 billion rupiah has been explored. "In fact, business opportunities in e-commerce may reach up to infinitive," said Nasir Tamara in the Guest Lecture: Business and Media, which took place in the Auditiorium of MM, Friday (20/5). Present as moderator was director of the MM, Prof. Dr. Lincolin Arsyad.
Tamara admitted, advertising business opportunities on digital media are still wide open and quite promising. This business does not even require substantial capital, but the ability to develop ideas and creativity. "In the field of advertising, the potential is still huge because there are many global brands that have not yet entered into Indonesia," he said.
Nevertheless, the development of e-commerce in Indonesia is still hampered with problems such as the lack of credit card holder and delivery system.
Besides the digital media business, advertising in television, print media and radio is also still very promising. Tamara said advertising revenues from 49 free television stations in Indonesia reached up to 1.92 billion dollars with the average audience reaches 4.3 hours per day. Meanwhile, ads in 172 print media with a circulation of 6 million copies earn 1.09 billion dollars.
Social and Political Movements
In addition to providing business opportunities, digital media turned out to give major influence in transforming social and political movements, strengthening democracy, expanding sources of information and political participation in a country. "Media has become a social space where power is determined," he said.
Tamara said digital media revolution currently is a milestone in the return of grass-roots politics; it is even capable of changing political behavior and views of young people. "In 2014, presidential candidates and politicians who take advantage of digital media will gain a great deal of support," he said.
Tamara takes Obama as the example. He succeeded to become President by using the mass of supporters on Facebook and Twitter who contributed funds amounting to 10 dollars each. "Barack Obama would have not become the elected president without the Internet," he said.