Maintaining Local Culture in the Era of Digital Culture
Local culture refers to the values cultivated by a community that are formed naturally and acquired through the learning process over time. On the other hand, digital culture shapes the way we interact, behave, think, and communicate in a society that uses internet technology.
Unfortunately, local culture has begun to erode due to the indifference of local people towards their own culture, as they tend to adopt digital culture. This is evident among Karo teenagers who dislike local customs, as seen from the increasing number of Karo teenagers who do not speak the Karo language or like Karo food.
This proves that digital culture has a huge impact on the preservation of local culture. Therefore, it is essential to preserve local culture in the era of digital culture. Here are some things that can be done:
1. Learn about the culture - where it came from and how to pass it on to others. For example, Karo youth can join cultural activities like Pesta Tahun, where they can learn how to dress, dance, and even eat Karo food.
2. Make local culture an identity - by applying the things we learn, such as using local language in daily life and wearing traditional clothes during cultural events.
3. Fill important days by introducing local culture - for instance, on Indonesian Independence Day, Porseni, Teachers Day, Hardiknas. Here, we can introduce our own culture.
The Education Expo event held at SMAN 1 Kabanjahe in November 2022 aims to maintain local culture. This event also introduces that Indonesia is very rich in local culture and proves that even though the school community has different cultures, they can live in harmony and peace in the social environment of the school, community, and even country.
Kabanjahe, June 14, 2023.
