WAYANG KAMPUNG SEBELAH, SOCIL MEDIA, AND SPLIT SOCIETY

Abstract

Slowly but sure traditional society has changed into a capitalistic one, and this has split the taste of the traditional society. Social change in the Javanese community has altered the face of wayang kulit. On the one hand, the old society still maintains the high taste of wayang kulit (purwa) because wayang kulit is a part of spiritual conduct. On the other hand, the new generation are craze for pop culture. There has been a degradation in the high art. A number of artists felt anxious because the high art has declined with the rise of pop art. In this situation Wayang Kampung Sebelah has emerged as a counter culture. However, its emergence has truly enriched the world of wayang kulit. Using ethnographic methods, this research has found that a discourse has emerged and the utilization of social media in conveying the ideology of democracy does not reckon the dichotomy between high and low culture.