Spillover Effects of Foreign Television Broadcasts and Community Nationalism in Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Borderlands

Abstract

This research examines how television broadcasts in the public space of border areas impact the nationalism of Indonesian. The area that is the object of this research is the Riau Islands, which directly borders Malaysia and Singapore. The issues in this research are analyzed using the Public Sphere Theory described by Jurgen Habermas as part of the critical theories of the Frankfurt School. The research employs a qualitative approach with a case study design. The results of this study illustrate that the spillover of foreign television broadcasts can be received by border communities, which have positive and negative impacts on Indonesian communities at the border. Positively, people within the border have alternatives to information since Indonesian television broadcasts in the border are still constrained by broadcasting infrastructure. On the other hand, because the media is able to change people’s perceptions, spillover is suspected to be one of the causes of the declining sense of nationalism within border communities. This research also found that community nationalism is not related to foreign television broadcasts (Malaysia and Singapore) consumed by the Riau Islands community. Cultural similarities make people feel more comfortable with broadcasts from these neighboring countries.