“Are people there as connected to electronics as they are here in the States?”
There are some large similarities between technology use in Indonesia and the United States as well as some large differences.
Some similarities are that just like in the States, most people 12 years old and above have cell phones and spend a lot of their time on them. They spend time on many of the same platforms as Americans: TikTok, Youtube, Instagram, Netflix, Facebook, and so whatever else is trendy these days. They are just as addicted to their phones and technology as Americans.
Here are some of the differences that we have noticed over the years here:
First off, most homes do not have computers in them. No laptops, no desktops, not even tablets Quite a few don’t even have a TV. People are content with just using their phones. This seemed crazy during the pandemic when kids were doing school on line and they had to do it in front of mom or dad’s tiny cell phone screen instead of on a laptop or tablet. But parents made it work.
Second, there are cell phone towers everywhere. Even the jungle and tiny islands have towers so that you can be connected to the internet almost everywhere. You may think that is not something so different, but remember, Indonesia is made up of 17,000 islands. That’s a lot of area to cover.
Third, cell phone service is affordable and there are no contracts. SIM cards are easy to purchase and plans can be purchased daily, weekly or monthly. They can include minutes, SMS messages and data or just data. Most people just purchase data plans and use services like WhatsApp for calling, texting and videocalls.
I will say that I see a lot more people actually talking on their phones here than in the States. While people do send text messages, there is still a lot of people who actually talk on their phones, which I see less and less of in the States.