Mass Media and Interpersonal Communication Development's Role in Households Behavior Electricity Conservation Issue

Abstract

The research type of study quantitative to investigates the impact of media exposure and interpersonal communication about the save energy electricity save issue on the energy consumption for household in Indonesia. The main purpose of this research to examine media exposure and interpersonal communication on household behaviour to reduce the energy consumption. The focus of the research is Depok Municipality, Indonesia. The energy savings are not the norm among household in Indonesian society.The results confirmed that there was no relationship between the mass media exposure and household's behaviour to save electricity. The results of research finding that there was direct impact of interpersonal communication on household behaviour to save electricity. This is of particular interest in Depok, where save electricity has been seen almost exclusively in terms of technological measures, and these have been almost fully exploited. Behavioral save electricity would therefore seem to be the way to go, but lifestyle changes will not come easily to household in Depok. In turn, discussion of the save of electricity with a partner strongly influenced the household behaviour to save electricity in the future. Interpersonal communication had limited coverage, but they had a stronger impact than the mass media on an household's behavior to save electricity. Although mass media campaigns do not have as strong an impact on a particular household's behavior to save electricity as do interpersonal communication, such campaigns have a substantial impact at the population level because of their considerably greater reach. Currently, they are either unable to modify their save electricity lifestyles because of the low price of electricity, the lack of adequate their knowledge of environmental problems. To achieve any behavioral change, the price of electricity must be increased in the residential sector. Such an increase would be politically unpopular. The mass media content also pointed to a lack of information how to save lectricity available to the public. Also, a more identifiable link should be drawn between save electricity and the environment by, for example, increasing information dissemination in both the mass media and the interpersonal communication forums.