Sstt! Governor Ridwan Kamil Reveals Techniques to Make Mothers Happy When Urged to Take Selfies

Dream - West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil apparently has a special technique in dealing with the community, especially mothers, who invite him to take selfies. He created this technique so that he can still interact with the residents without hindering his activities. 

Kang Emil, as the governor is commonly called, is one of the state officials who actively use social media to socialize policies in the West Java area. Often, he also makes various funny posts that entertain his followers. 

"My technique is to be polite but give time for selfies, I walk while taking selfies. So, I can continue on my way to the car but still give space," said Ridwan Kamil when giving a speech at the Indonesia Digital Conference (IDC) 2023 event in Bandung, West Java, on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. 

Talking about the digital world, the governor, who recently joined the Golkar Party, admitted that leaders are also affected by disruptions in political communication. 

While joking around, the governor, who nicknamed his wife Si Cinta (The Love), said that the presence of social media has made many leaders have to allocate time to fulfill the public's desire to take selfies. 

"In the digital era, leaders must allocate time for the people who ask for a selfie. Everyone holds their phones and asks for a selfie. If not, they will be called arrogant or too slow," he said. 

He exemplified the request for a selfie with him that occurred when attending the 78th Indonesian Independence Day Ceremony in Jakarta a few days ago. At that time, Ridwan Kamil was invited to take selfies by several attending citizens, causing the barrier fence to collapse. 

"Why did it collapse? Because it only took one thing called a selfie," he said. 

Although it may seem like a joke, Ridwan Kamil explained that the current technological advancements have brought about a new term called "selfie economic". 

This term is described by the number of people who try to take selfies at famous spots just to get a photo for 5 seconds. 

"People come to waterfalls, no need to stay long. Just find a spot, 5 seconds, cool background, snap. All they need is validation, likes, and followers," he said. 

In addition to discussing the selfie trend, Ridwan Kamil emphasized the importance of adapting in the era of digital disruption to avoid being defeated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. 

"I am the leader of West Java, and every day I adapt. Currently, I am a generalist, but I used to be a specialist in architectural design. Since becoming a leader, I have to be knowledgeable about everything, from inflation to AI," he said. 

Kang Emil, who is familiarly called Kang Emil, revealed that Indonesia is the largest internet user with a total of 204 million users per year, and the number of mobile phone users has exceeded 350 million. 

According to Kang Emil, Indonesia is also the country with the longest mobile phone usage time in the world, reaching 5.7 hours per day. 

"My point is, in every disruption, there are both positive and dark sides. As a leader, I must encourage the positive side but also prepare defenses against these dark sides, and the country must be prepared for it," he said. 

Kang Emil explained that the digital economy turnover in Indonesia reaches 220 billion US dollars. 

"Those who used to sell physical goods are now learning to sell online. So, Indonesia is the fastest country to adapt to digital practices. Our country is the fastest in making apps, finding partners, doing business, and borrowing money," he explained. 

Kang Emil stated that what changes the economic landscape is digital, while the task of leaders is to exclude digital access. 

"So, I have created many innovations in the villages. There are three disruptions in Indonesia: the Covid-19 pandemic, digital, and climate crisis disruptions," he said. 

With AI, imagination becomes limitless, so it can reconstruct visuals that can replace human work processes. 

"So, if Indonesia wants to be prepared, it must not only manage a 220 billion US dollar economy but also need to have defenses against the dark side of digital disruptions, especially AI. The formula is simple, everything routine will be replaced by machines," Kang Emil said. 

The Indonesia Digital Conference (IDC) and AMSI Awards programs are part of the AMSI's collaboration program with Internews and USAID MEDIA to build media business sustainability in Indonesia. 

This year's event, IDC and AMSI Awards also received support from PT Astra International Tbk, PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero), Mining Industry Indonesia (MIND ID), PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, PT Pertamina (Persero), PT Adaro Energy Tbk, PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk, Bank BJB, Harita Nickel, PT XL Axiata Tbk, and Minderoo Foundation.