Indonesia wants civil servants with large social media followings to be government influencers

JAKARTA (ANN): In a bid to more widely disseminate information about the government’s programmes, the Communications and Information Ministry wants to make use of civil servants who have large followings on social media to be influencers for the government.

The acting head of the ministry's public relations bureau Ferdinandus Setu said the ministry aimed to involve civil servants who are active in social media.

“Those who have a minimum of 500 followers on Instagram and Twitter and a minimum of 500 friends on Facebook, ” Ferdinandus said on Monday at a press conference, as quoted by kompas.com.

The civil servants, he explained, are to get special badges that label them as influencers and would get special invitations to events run by the government.

Public Communications and Information (IKP) Director General Widodo Muktiyo said he supports the idea, explaining that it could be a breakthrough for the government in enhancing its communication methods in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“The development of Industry 4.0 will lead to many things. People can spread content everywhere. The IKP now becomes the coordinator of public relations in Indonesia, ” Widodo said.

Widodo said the ministry has not optimally been carrying out its function as the government's public relations body, which creates the need for other channels to publish the government’s achievements.

“The IKP is now Indonesia’s public relations coordinator. We are the knot in the ministry, ” he said. - The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network