Mobile life, communication technology, and disreputable literacy

By earning the G-20 membership, the position of Indonesia as a country of emerging economy in global arena is unquestionable. However, domestically, the results of its National Development Program still create distinctive gaps between rural-urban regions, provinces, and islands. In the context of the Human Development Index, as issued by UNDP in 2016, Indonesia ranks 133 in literacy. The study reported in this paper, therefore, aims to reveal one of potential roots of Indonesian disreputable literacy, which is portrayed in an urban area: Landungsari Village, Malang Regency, and East Java Province. The reading habit of the elementary-school-age children is the focus of this study, because as the core element of literacy, the reading habit will increase human capital, particularly within the intellectual domain. To disclose how globalization affects literacy, the data are analyzed by reviewing the outcome of the 3-year community services and the recent field survey. The findings obviously illustrate that the low interest in reading is triggered by the influence of mobile life, unconducive surroundings, and the misuse of communication device of advanced technology: smartphones.