Adoption of the Simpeldesa Application: Shifting Social Relations between Residents and Village Government

Abstract

The digitalization program of rural areas is articulated in Article 86, paragraphs 1-6 of Law No. 6 of 2014 concerning villages, within which it entrusts villages in Indonesia with the capability to implement information technology in rural development. The rural digitalization phenomenon has repercussions on various sociological aspects of human beings, including the patterns of interaction, the intricacies of interpersonal relationships, individual attitudes and actions, and the comprehension of individual identities. This phenomenon is also observed in the digital village of Kendalbulur. In support of good governance, the village government has developed an application for managing social, economic, and governmental affairs. Throughout the digitalization process, the community has experienced a transformation in the patterns of interaction between residents and the village government, shifting from physical co-presence to virtual space. The alteration in the relationship between residents and the village government is a noteworthy subject to scrutinize since it is not an easy task to alter the mindset of rural communities, in particular for those who were born during the baby boom era, given that the consequence is that all residents must become proficient in using information technology. It applied a qualitative descriptive research design combined with the Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) methodology. The principle of purposive sampling determined the selection of the research subject. The data analysis was conducted based on the Miles and Huberman framework. The Village Head (Kades), as the representation of village government officials, still prioritizes direct communication with their people. In addition to the utilization of digital technology, such as the Simpeldesa application, direct communication in this context involves practices such as deliberations (musyawarah) and communal cooperation (gotong royong), either with the villagers themselves or their representatives, such as the heads of neighborhood associations (ketua RT or RW).