There is a growing feeling in Indonesia that the dot-com era is just emerging even though it is the year 2009. You may still remember that around a decade ago, parts of our globe experienced a new kind of renaissance known as the dot-com bubble. Equity prices of internet companies, specifically those listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, experienced an inexorable vertical momentum. Today, the internet has become a place teeming with competition. Or at least this seems to be the case in developed nations. In fact many developing countries too, such as China, already have an accepted internet culture. A quick tour around China would reveal the ubiquity of internet cafes. Surprisingly, many of us have overlooked Indonesia, the fourth most populous country in the world. Despite being the fourth most populous country, Indonesia is just beginning to experience the real vastness of the internet.
    It is true that the internet has been in Indonesia for over a decade by this point. However, underdeveloped internet cables and lack of industry wide competition had stifled progress. A decade ago, one living in Indonesia would notice that home internet connections were a luxury privilege. High internet prices essentially limited the internet to the upper wealthy class. On a different note, most of this is changing now from past measures to increase internet prevalence and increased competition. Recent statistics show that from the year 2000 to 2009 internet usage has increased 1150%. In addition, this penetration is around 10% of the population indicating further growth potential. This sounds awfully exciting for the internet pioneer but it has further implications. One might ask, what do these statistics mean?
    It is a recent phenomenon that we see a nascent "internet culture" developing. From mainly an internet blogosphere environment, Indonesia is seeing the growth of online communities. http://www.Kaskus.us, founded by Andrew Darwis, is a prime example of an Indonesian community of over 1 million users. http://www.BisnisKecil.com is another example of growing Indonesian Business and Entrepreneur community. These two websites mark the development of an emerging trend. Additionally, one might notice the growing competition among Indonesian domain names, which is the name of a website (URL). Upon further investigation, the domain name Berita.com, to name one for example, is being sold at a 6 figure or higher sum in U.S. Dollars!
    These general developments are highly significant as they mark a historic change for people living in Indonesia. This applies particularly towards the local population who now have access to a global sphere. To give more details, small Indonesian businesses now have easier access to a wider consumer audience. Online communities, such as http://www.BisnisKecil.com, can begin to aggregate and voice political, social and/or economic concerns. There is a sense of equal opportunity and wider perspective of the world with democracy being voiced across a multitude of websites. It may sounds promising now, but where will Indonesia go a decade from now? Will Indonesia face an Internet Bubble like in the West? Only time will tell.

By Brendan Limn

Sources:

http://www.businesswire.com/po…..ewsLang=en

http://home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/…..n_Tola.pdf

http://www.internetworldstats……stats3.htm