UNAIR NEWS – Prof Dra Rachmah Ida MComms Ph.D. has achieved an exceptional international award as one of the Top 100 Scientist Social Sciences by AD Scientific Index (Alper-Doger Scientific Index). This achievement was achieved from her research contribution and her research on audience, gender, and political communication field.

Prof Ida was named the First Media Studies Professor in Indonesia in 2014. As reported by Google Scholar, Prof Rachmah Ida managed to produce more than 100 books and scientific articles.

Book published by Silkworm Books, Germany

Prof Ida also explored media studies until she authored a book published by Silkworm Books Germany in 2010. Book titled “Imaging Muslim Women in Indonesian Ramadan Soap Operas” was also sold on Amazon.

“Back then there were not many books written by Indonesians published and discussed the audience,” she explained.

Prof Ida tried to provide a critical view of mass media in Indonesia. This view is able to open communication researchers in Indonesia to look at mass media critically.

All this time, said Prof Ida, research tradition only sees how TV can influence audience behavior. Her research tried to see a significant correlation between TV possession, mass media, and mass media capitalism behavior in Indonesia.

“In the end, these things will harm the audience, so the audience can only be passive, did not have the chance to speak and seemed to be the target market from mass media companies,” she mentioned.

Cited 485 times

In 2014, Prof Ida wrote another book, Metode Penelitian: Studi Media dan Kajian Budaya (Research Method: Media and Cultural Studies) for the students. Prof Ida wants to teach the student how to do research the right way from the eyes of a media perspective and cultural studies approach.

The book then has a large number of citations. Reported from Google Scholar, the Metode Penelitian: Studi Media dan Kajian Budaya book have been quoted 485 times.

“It was happiness to me because my knowledge able to reach my own students, especially, and the general community widely, scholars and Indonesian academicians,” she stated.

Inspiring international researchers

In one chapter of an international journal, Journal of The Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania, an article by Prof Ida has provided a significant impact on the research world. The article has been cited and it inspired some foreign researchers abroad.

Prof Ida wrote a chapter in her supervisors’ Prof Krishna Sen and David T. Hill’s book titled “Politics and The Media in Twenty-First Century Indonesia: Decade of Democracy.”

“In the chapter, I presented how media owners conspired with the people with power, thus, they are called media oligarchy,” she revealed.

This article opened many foreign researchers’ eyes to understand that media owners in Indonesia were close to the nation’s leaders. Since the new order, it was proven that media ownership in Indonesia has never changed. Almost all media are close to the authority. (*)

Author: Sandi Prabowo

Editor : Binti Q. Masruroh