The Utilization of Social Media and Digital Technology in Kraton Yogyakarta.

Abstract

In accordance with the social media trend, The Kraton Yogyakarta (The Sultanate of Yogyakarta's Royal Kraton), a cultural heritage where Javanese culture is maintained and preserved, has started to use social media, even though it has long been known as a place of high culture and strong feudal system. The Kraton Yogyakarta has been using social media to promote its existence. For this purpose, the Kraton uses a website, Instagram and Facebook. The objectives of this research are as follows: first, to know how the Kraton Yogyakarta utilizes the new media; second, to know the role of new media in cultural preservation. This research used a case study qualitative approach. The research data was collected from the interviews with the informants and observation. This study shows that the Kraton Yogyakarta has been using social media not only to keep up with the time, but also to promote cultural values to the young generations throughout the world; the Kraton Yogyakarta wants to show that they can adapt to the modern world while maintaining and preserving Javanese culture. Social media can indeed be used effectively to educate the young generation about Javanese culture and to introduce the Kraton Yogyakarta's cultural heritage, so that it can be preserved.