TRAVEL, WRITING, AND POPULAR MEDIA IN 21st CENTURY INDONESIA (original) (raw)

This paper aims to elaborate the phenomena of travel as popular culture in publications; books, movies, television, and social media. As travel becomes an important means to contemporary society, the efforts of documenting and representing travel experience becomes vital and massive. Numerous publications of travel-themed books, movies, television shows, and social media posts indicate that travel has become certain popular theme and style for Indonesians. By focusing the discussion on the concept of travel writing and its usage on popular media, this research indicates that travel books, movies, and television shows produced by the author/director are used to awaken Indonesians awareness toward travel. The 21st century travel writing is mostly influenced by modern sensibility which tends romanticize the travelogues. The widespread of romantic representation in popular media creates a popular myth about the journey and travel destination. Moreover, the social media involvement facilitates the production of myth by engaging the user into the voluntary (re)production of travel discourse and its myth.