The Impact of Digital Technology on Various Traditional Theaters: An Examination of the Sociology of Arts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v25i2.24730Keywords:
traditional theater; digital technology; sociology of art; Janet Wolff; cultural transformationAbstract
The advancement of digital technology has engendered substantial transformations across various dimensions of life, particularly within the realm of traditional performing arts. In Indonesia, traditional art forms such as ketoprak, drama gong, and wayang purwa are currently undergoing significant changes in terms of production, presentation, and consumption in the digital age. This article explores the effects of digitization on these three art forms through the lens of Janet Wolff’s sociology of art framework. According to Wolff’s perspective, artworks are perceived as the outcome of the interplay among diverse social, economic, and cultural factors, with digital technology playing a crucial role in redefining the modern landscape of performing arts. The research findings indicate that digitalization facilitates the expansion of engagement with global audiences while simultaneously preserving local cultural values. Nevertheless, challenges manifest in the form of cultural gentrification, which threatens the erosion of indigenous aspects of tradition. Furthermore, this article offers recommendations for artists to harness technology in order to produce relevant artworks in the context of globalization, without compromising their cultural identity.
References
Bai, Y., & Wong, S. C. (2022). Conveying Ningxia’s 8 treasures tea cultural values through packaging design: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Technology, 13(5), 1097. https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v13i5.5834
Bandem, I. M., & Murgianto, S. (1996). Teater daerah Indonesia. Kanisius.
Chollet, M., & Scherer, S. (2017). Perception of virtual audiences. IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 37(4), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCG.2017.3271465
Coleman, R. (2020). Making, managing and experiencing ‘the now’: Digital media and the compression and pacing of ‘real-time.’ New Media & Society, 22(9), 1680–1698. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820914871
Dyah, J. (2021). Satru ing ngepal. Taman Budaya Yogyakarta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiNgB_0wWuc
Etikan, I. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11
Fischer-Lichte, E. (2008). The transformative power of performance. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203894989
Fortier, M. (1997). Theory/Theater. Routledge.
Gautam, V. K., & Gautam, J. (2023). Qualitative research approaches in social sciences. In A. Gangrade, J. Ara, & A. Banerjee (Eds.), Recent Applied Research in Humanities and Social Science. MKSES Publisher.
Goldmann, L. (1981). Towards a sociology of novel. Tavistock.
Hatley, B. (2008). Javanese performances on an Indonesia stage contesting culture, embracing change. NUS Press National University of Singapore.
Haviland, W. A. (1988). Atropologi Jilid 1 (Vol. 1). Erlangga.
Horst, M. (2025). The art, science and technology studies movement: An essay review. Social Studies of Science, 55(1), 131–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/03063127241270917
Junus, U. (1981). Sosiologi sastera persoalan teori dan metode. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kementerian Pelajar Malaysia.
Kayam, U. (2001). Kelir tanpa batas. Pusat Studi Kebudayaan UGM.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1992). Analisis data kualitatif (T. R. Rohidi (trans.)). UI Press.
Muhadjir, N. (2009). Metodologi penelitian kualitatif: Telaah positivistik, rasionalistik, phenomenologik realism metaphisik. Rake Sarasin.
Palombini, A. (2017). Storytelling and telling history. Towards a grammar of narratives for cultural heritage dissemination in the digital era. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 24, 134–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2016.10.017
Purnomo, H. S. (2013). Ketoprak siasat hidup di antara tradisi dan modernitas. Media Kreatifa.
Putra, K. N., Prasetya, H. B., Chistianto, W. N., & Handayani, L. L. A. (2025). Audience participation in virtual wayang performances of post-pandemic Covid – 19 in Indonesia. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences, 52(3), 5213. https://doi.org/10.35516/hum.v52i3.5213
Razak, R. N. A., & Abdullah, S. A. (2021). The 8th international seminar on Nusantara heritage (ISoNH 2021).
Riyanto, B. (2012). Wayang Purwa dan tantangan teknologi media baru. Nirmana, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.9744/nirmana.13.1.5-11
Rusyada, G. N., & Sutiyono. (2021). Art and social media. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210602.006
Rutten, K. (2018). Participation, art and digital culture. Critical Arts, 32(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/02560046.2018.1493055
Rye, C. (2022). New animasi yayang kulit Semar bangun desa Karangkadempel plus goro-Goro. Cak Rye Edutainment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KYJOUq-u7c
Safdar, G. (2022). Effects of digital media on Pakistani culture: A study of university students of Punjab, Pakistan. Online Media and Society, 3, 256–272. https://doi.org/10.71016/oms/qe23f009
Sahid, N. (2000). Drama-drama Rendra dan pengaruhnya terhadap teater kontemporer: Tinjauan strukturalisme genetik [Rendra’s plays and their influence on contemporary theater: An overview of genetic structur].
Sahid, N. (2017). Sosiologi teater; teori dan penerapannya. Gigih Pustaka Mandiri.
Sahid, N., Junaidi, J., & Iswantara, N. (2023). The meaning of political conflict in the ketoprak “Satru Ing Ngepal.” Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education, 23(1), 141–153. https://doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v23i1.42447
Sapphira, R. N. (2023). Titik temu tradisi dan modernisasi: Adaptasi kultural pelestarian wayang kulit di era digital. Anthropos: Jurnal Antropologi Sosial Dan Budaya (Journal of Social and Cultural Anthropology), 8(2), 75–92. http://jurnal.unimed.ac.id/2012/index.php/anthropos
Subiyantoro, S., Kristiani, K., & Wijaya, Y. S. (2020). Javanese cultural paradoxism: A visual semiotics study on wayang purwa characters of satria and raseksa figures. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education, 20(1), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v20i1.23838
Sugita, I. W. (2021). Strategi pewarisan seni pertunjukan drama gong kepada generasi penerus. Kalangwan Jurnal Pendidikan Agama, Bahasa Dan Sastra, 11(2), 154. https://doi.org/10.25078/klgw.v11i2.2895
Sugita, I. W., Pastika, I. G. T., & Puasa, I. M. G. (2023). Development of a drama gong performance model: an effort to preserve the traditional Balinese drama in the digital era. International Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(1), 32–44. https://doi.org/10.31763/viperarts.v5i1.910
Sukma, I., Widyastutieningrum, S. R., & Mulyana, A. R. (2025). Art, ideology, and language: a critical discourse analysis of cultural representation in Anwar Beck’s songs. Journal of Innovation in Educational and Cultural Research, 6(1), 197–207. https://doi.org/10.46843/jiecr.v6i1.2233
Tsepkova, A. V. (2021). Sacred and profane in onomastics. Review of the book: Onomastics between sacred and profane / ed. by O. Felecan. Wilmington, Del. : Vernon Press, 2019. 412 + xxvi p. Вопросы Ономастики, 18(1), 272–282. https://doi.org/10.15826/vopr_onom.2021.18.1.015
Tulaev, B. R., Daminov, O. O., Khakimov, J. O., & Ugli Turdiev, J. P. (2020). Developing competencies in the development of information and communication technologies. In Journal of Critical Reviews (Vol. 7, Issue 2). https://doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.02.55
Waluyo, D., & Rosmawati, R. (2021). Dinamika seni tradisional pada era digital. Majalah Ilmiah Semi Populer Komunikasi Massa, Vol. 2 No., 161–172. https://jurnal.kominfo.go.id/index.php/mkm/article/view/4523
Webb, A., & Layton, J. (2023). ‘It’s not just about technology!’’: Creativity as a driving force for nurturing the development of skills for digital performance.’ International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 19(3), 386–404. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794713.2023.2223719
Wolff, J. (1982). The social production of art. Martin’s Press.
Yuliati, D., Rochwulaningsih, Y., Utama, M. P., Mufidah, R., Masruroh, N. N., & Sholihah, F. (2023). Using social media for preserving the Javanese traditional arts: Adaptation strategy of Sobokartti in the Millenial Era. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2180875
