ESSAY

Supporting Peace with Bahasa

Conflict is a product of pluralism. Indonesia has 16,056 islands that are registered
at United Nation (UN) and recorded as fourth largest population in the world by
having 264 million population. It is known as ethnically diverse country with 700
local languages. Indonesia’s government also recognizes 6 religions with so many
beliefs that are still acknowledged. All these diversities that Indonesia has
interestingly make Indonesia as one of the most complex country, beautiful but
vulnerable. The result of this plurality often causes chaos, discrepancy, discordance,
and even disunity. The emergence of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or known as Unity in
Diversity has become a solution of this plurality product that unfortunately is no
longer to be seen as one by its society nowadays.
In the modern era, science and technology are two components that have been
developing in order to assist and help people make their lives more efficient. The
Indonesian Government officially launched ‘Making Indonesia 4.0’ in order to boost
the nation’s economy through the implementation of new manufacturing technologies
for the most vital sectors which are automotive, food and beverage, electronics,
textile, and chemical. It possesses the large population of smartphone users recorded
as over 100 million with 145 million people connected to the Internet, which is a huge
advantage to the realization of Industry 4.0. But the question is ‘is the society ready to
face this revolution with the product of pluralism standing beside them?’ The
influence of Industrial Revolution 4.0 on Indonesian society has a tremendous impact
on social lives and cultural communities.
Technology nowadays plays an important role in the function of society’s life,
which namely changes its cultural behavior and mindset. Having such a large
population creates various behavior and demeanor which are not necessarily accepted
in society with different background and perspective, and it is commonly happen in
Indonesia. Social media as one of the platform, that globally connected people who
mutually knows each other or not, could become a place where the conflict form,
which the low public awareness also could worsen the situation that was already
made. Social media provides us to self-express better than the one in past, that makes
Social Media become a high potential platform to share message or status that could
be accessed globally, that possibly could trigger any finger.
 Language is a product of pluralism. Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of
Indonesia that was born in October 28th 1928, in order to unite all Youths from
different parts of Indonesia back in 1928, due to ethnically and geography differences.
It means Bahasa was aimed to accept differences and varieties that Indonesia had
without forgetting the differences itself. The use of Language in modern era,
especially, for technology using has a major impact in lives. Although, the knowledge
of applying language in life has not used rightly, mostly for Social Media user.
In Indonesia, it’s used to see conflict in pluralism country, conflict in real life and
in cyberspace. These conflicts usually started with the misuse of language due to
difference interpretation and perspective. A lack of knowledge of using language as a
communication media rightly, that could emerge a intolerance in individual of society
in receiving remark. It mostly happen in Social Media, which a platform that could
connect people without seeing their face in stating remark. There are a lot of conflict
happened in Social Media due to the lack of language understanding, Linguistic, as a
common knowledge. The worst thing that could happen is when the conflict started in
Social Media, which could be accessed globally and responded freely, evolved to
reality. As Social Media user, it is very important to beware of the words that going to
be written or posted. Besides, it’s needed a sense of language to be a wise Social
Media User so it would minimize the habit of effortlessly judging person by their
posting.
A belief of conflict as a product of pluralism become potentially improve as the
society who follows it still use the product. Meanwhile, 92 years ago amazing people
from Nusantara (before it’s called Indonesia) already made a product called Bahasa
Indonesia to get rid the conflict of the previous product. We are currently living in
2020, a modern world that surrounded by technology. It requires society to understand
technology on living in a pluralism country, Indonesia, and requires society to follow
the trend but act locally. As a country with ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ and various
diversity, due to the establishment of peace, language as a product that could support
its establishment should be support by the society.