Exploring Urban Escapism: FIB Doctoral Candidate Publishes Research on Indonesian YouTube Web Series
The rise of digital media has transformed the way stories are told and experienced, and Ratna Erika Mawarrani Suwarno, a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Melbourne and lecturer at the English Studies Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB) Universitas Padjadjaran, explores this transformation in her latest publication. Her article, “Colorful Escapism: Spatial Narrative and Experiencing Space in YouTube Web Series Mereka yang Hidupkan Mimpi”, examines how Indonesian digital storytelling shapes ideas of space, identity, and cultural connection in the 21st century.
The study focuses on the 2018 YouTube web series Mereka yang Hidupkan Mimpi (MYHM), which follows a group of young urban Indonesians traveling to Singapore as a form of escapism. Produced as a collaboration between Kumparan, Indonesia’s leading digital media platform, and the Singapore Tourism Board, the series highlights striking contrasts between Jakarta and Singapore, two vibrant urban centers in Southeast Asia. Through cinematic techniques, color tones, and visual storytelling, MYHM constructs parallel spatial narratives that juxtapose Indonesia’s bustling capital with Singapore’s modern cityscape, offering viewers an immersive experience of mobility and aspiration.
Erika’s research goes beyond surface-level tourism narratives by analyzing how space is experienced within the series. She examines how framing, cinematography, and color palettes work together to create distinctive emotional atmospheres for each city. More than a promotional campaign, MYHM becomes a narrative about identity, belonging, and cultural connectivity among Southeast Asian youth. Erika argues that the series reflects how platforms like YouTube influence collective perceptions of urban space and foster new understandings of regional relationships between neighboring countries.
Currently pursuing her doctorate at The University of Melbourne, Erika’s broader research focuses on the evolution of Indonesian YouTube web series throughout the 2010s. By combining her expertise in literary studies with her practical background in film production, she approaches the topic from an interdisciplinary perspective that bridges media, literature, and cultural studies.
This publication underscores FIB’s dedication to supporting innovative scholarship that engages with digital narratives, popular culture, and identity formation in Southeast Asia. Erika’s work not only sheds light on emerging storytelling trends but also places Indonesian digital media within global academic discourse.
Ferli Hasanah
