Preserving Indonesian Culture in the Digital Age: Implementing Augmented Reality to Address Cultural Appropriation Issue

Abstract

Abstract—Cultural appropriation is a complex issue that can lead to the loss of a nation's cultural identity. With the widespread adoption of mobile phones in Indonesia, there is an opportunity to use technology, specifically augmented reality (AR). To address this issue, our user-friendly AR app allows users to interact with Indonesian culture in a virtual environment. Through AR technology, users can engage with Indonesian culture in an immersive and fun way. Our target market is the younger generation, and our app provides a user-friendly interface that allows users to scan AR markers to access different cultural settings. Users can choose from two cultural regions, Bali and Papua. Once a region is selected, a scene showcases the desired region's iconic places and objects accompanied by a traditional folk song. In developing the AR app, we used the agile software development method for approximately two months with four developers. At the end of the development phase, we conduct four testing aspects of the application—namely, angle testing, functionally testing, usability testing, and hardware testing. The testing revealed that the application could perform well under various testing conditions. Through our AR solution, we aim to raise awareness of the importance of Indonesian culture and provide an educational experience that can inspire users to take ownership of their cultural heritage.