Creative Community Strategy in Maintaining Local Cultural Identity in the Midst of the Globalization of Pop Culture

Abstract

The current globalization of popular culture poses a serious challenge to the sustainability of local cultural identity, especially among the younger generation. This research aims to analyze the strategies of creative communities in preserving and reconstructing local culture through digital media and contemporary artistic practices. The approach used is qualitative descriptive with a case study method on three creative communities in Indonesia: Papermoon Puppet Theatre (Yogyakarta), Reog Banyuwangi Project (Banyuwangi), and Forum Lenteng (Jakarta). Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observations of community activities, and digital media documentation, which was analyzed with thematic techniques. The results of the study show that the creative community plays a dual role as both a preservative agent and a cultural innovator, employing strategies such as the use of local narratives, the incorporation of traditional cultural elements with modern aesthetics, and the distribution of cultural content through digital media. In addition, the involvement of the younger generation in cultural production reinforces the relevance of local culture in digital public spaces. This study concludes that creative communities are the spearhead of adaptive local cultural preservation in the face of the challenge of global cultural homogenization.