Presentation Schedule
Escaping Through the Algorithm: Digital Desire, Disillusionment, and Post-Migration Asymmetry in Japan’s Internship Program (107663)
Session Chair: Roberto Masami Prabowo
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Wednesday, 13 May 2026 13:45
Session: Session 2
Room: Live-Stream Room 4
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
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This study investigates the influence of social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, on the migration ambitions of Indonesian youth seeking internships and employment in Japan. Algorithmically selected information often idealizes Japanese labor culture, creating an aesthetically pleasing "Japan Dream" that portrays migration as a means of escaping from domestic economic stagnation and cultural discontent. Among Indonesian teens, this imagery aligns with the digitally mediated phrase “kabur saja dulu” (“just run away”), an emotive expression of frustration with local systems and a need for change in many contexts.
This research utilizes digital content analysis and comprehensive interviews with Indonesian returnees to examine the disparity between idealized platform narratives, actual labor conditions, and post-migration results. Although numerous returns express discontent due to cultural isolation, overwhelming workloads, and restricted reintegration, others articulate the attainment of economic, cultural, and social capital, encompassing financial literacy, discipline, and adaptive abilities. These resources facilitate the development of hybrid labor identities and novel economic behaviors upon repatriation.
This paper, situated at the convergence of digital humanities and migration studies, contends that algorithmic narratives not only encourage mobility but also actively influence post-migration identities and employment pathways. Emotional digital discourses like #KaburSajaDulu serve both as catalysts for aspiration and as devices that conceal structural inequalities in the transnational labor movement between Indonesia and Japan.
Authors:
Roberto Masami Prabowo, BINUS University, Indonesia
About the Presenter(s)
Roberto Masami Prabowo is a lecturer and researcher in the Japanese Department of the Faculty of Humanities at BINUS University.
Connect on Linkedin
https://id.linkedin.com/in/roberto-masami-56a035219
Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Roberto-Prabowo
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