Strengthening the Role of Village Head Communications In The Digital Age

Abstrak

The village head as a local actor has a strategic role in the development and
empowerment of village communities. The implementation of Law No. 6 of 2014
on Villages as well as Law Number 14 Year 2008 on Public
Information Transparency is a demand that must be responded by the village head.
Moreover, the third point of Nawacita: "Building Indonesia from the Fringe by
Strengthening Areas and Villages within the Framework of Unitary State"
places the village as a Government development priority. On the other hand, the
massive development of digital media influences the communication patterns of
society. But there is still reluctance from the village head to take advantage
of digital communication media as a new media. Denis McQuail outlines the
main features of new media that can be utilized such as decentralization, high
ability, interactivity and flexibility of forms, content and usage. Participatory
Media Culture Theory by Henry Jenkins is used to view social realities in
which new media offer the audience to jointly take on the role of media
consumers and media producers alike. Through the literature study, this article
describes how efforts can be made to strengthen the role of village head
communications in the digital age.
Keywords: [the Village Head, New Media, Participatory Media Culture, Source of Credibility]