Social media is often seen as a contributing factor to Indonesians’ declining interest in reading. It is even considered a major source of distraction, replacing the habit of reading books with shorter and more visual content. The use of casual, non-standard language only adds to the concern. Ironically, despite declining interest in books, most Indonesians now spend long hours staring at their phone screens, often only for entertainment or brief social media interactions.
Professor Aprinus Salam, Cultural Studies scholar and professor at the UGM Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB UGM), argues that the decline in reading interest cannot be blamed solely on social media, but rather on how younger generations use it.
Social media, he explained, has significant potential for good when used wisely.
“Its impact can be good or less good, depending on how young people utilize it. Indonesians have had low reading interest for a long time, and that is not because of social media,” he stated at FIB UGM on Thursday (Nov. 27).
Although social media is not entirely to blame, efforts to reduce its excessive use among teenagers still deserve attention.
However, according to Professor Salam, the issue is not simple and cannot be addressed with straightforward approaches.
For him, this challenge is deeply tied to life, social, and cultural strategies that must be reinforced through a progressive, forward-looking tradition of thinking, among both younger and older generations.
“Older generations do not necessarily think better. If a conducive thinking tradition is not successfully passed down, I believe that also reflects the failure of previous generations,” the expert explained.
With a mature tradition of thought, Professor Salam believes social media can serve as a healthy space for dialogue and idea-sharing, and as a medium for expanding knowledge and the arts.
Reading, he emphasized, does not always require a physical book; reading is fundamentally about understanding meaning, information, and phenomena.
“Whatever the medium, because for me the important thing is not merely increasing reading interest, but building awareness of what is being read and how it is being read. Many important things exist on social media, and many unimportant things can be found in books. So clearly, the issue is not about interest, but about how one reads,” he said.
Professor Salam also expressed his surprise that many parents lack a strong reading culture yet expect their children to enjoy reading.
This, he noted, creates challenges; parents must first correct their own reading habits before they can serve as role models.
“Some schools today do develop strategies and curricula that encourage students to read regularly, but such approaches cannot overlook the role of social media as a potential learning space. Schools should instead teach how to use social media progressively and productively,” he added.
Despite these concerns, Professor Salam believes stakeholders need not be overly worried. Every generation has its own challenges and solutions.
Generation Alpha and those that follow will grow up in a far more complex technological environment, while the experiences of older generations will not always be relevant to their future.
Youth literacy, he said, will not merely be measured by how often they read books, but by their ability to understand information, think critically, and use technology to build a better civilization.
“I don’t think we should expect older generations to teach lessons about the future. Their struggles and the challenges that future generations will face are completely different,” the professor concluded.
Author: Kezia Dwina Nathania
Editor: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Illustration: Freepik.com