TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Jokowi’s spokesman Fadjroel Rachman said that digital actors as key opinion leaders were necessary for society following the development of the digital transformation era and democracy. Among them were influencers, he said.

In a democratic governance, he said, being digitally active was needed as a bridge of communication between the government and the citizens.

“So in this era of digital society, digital actors who are key opinion leaders in many countries actively take a vital role in the communication of public policy,” said Fadjroel in a written statement on Monday, August 31.

Recently, the government allegedly hired many influencers to shape public opinions. Fadjroel said their presence was inevitable in digital transformation amid the development of digital society.

“Digital actors will continue to develop in important roles to build information networks that affect the productive activity of socio-economy and politics,” he said.

He went on to say that Jokowi had stated that Indonesia must carry out digital transformation as a prerequisite for economic transformation and digital democracy. Therefore, many parts of strategic policies needed to be based on the digital system and society.

“Digital actors [influencers] are important players in changing the paradigm from a top-down strategy to a participative strategy, in which the public actively participates in communication policy,” said Fadjroel.

Read: Govt Allegedly Hires Influencers, Observer: Democracy Does Not Run Normally

EGI ADYATAMA