What would you do if your hard work was mocked, while poor qualitycontent was praised? In today's world, most content on social media is just chasing trends and virality, so staying true to your values can feel like swimming against the current. This is the moral dilemma faced by Damar, the main character in the short film “KASET PITA”.The short film follows the journey of Damar, a young content creator who struggles with the harsh reality of online criticism. His sincere efforts to produce meaningful content are trivialized by netizens, while shallow and meaningless “flexing” videos that only show off wealth gain popularity and excellent response from the audience. Frustrated and tempted, Damar almost gave in to the trend, until a memory of his late father's message brought him back to his roots. It galvanized Damar to create content highlighting the Serdam, a traditional musical instrument from Lampung, Indonesia.
Joshua Michael. Kaset Pita. YouTube, uploaded by Joshua Michael, 27 Oct. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2vpZ0XiyCA.
Surprisingly, his cultural content received a positive response from the audience. This proves that substance can trump performance. This is not only a personal victory, but also a tribute to cultural preservation in the digital age.
If I were in Damar's shoes, I'm sure I would have chosen the same path. I admit, I wouldn't have avoided the temptation to follow what was popular. But Damar teaches us that staying committed to what we believe in even when it's hard will be more rewarding in the long run.
Like Damar, I will strive to create content that is not only interesting but also meaningful. Popularity may be satisfying, but the impact will be more important.
From my perspective, Damar's decision is admirable. Many people would take the easy path, making whatever generates a good response from the crowd, but Damar thinks differently. He chooses to take responsibility for the message he conveys and prioritizes what is truly beneficial to others.
“KASET PITA” is more than just a movie about content creation, it is a reflection of our current digital culture. It reminds us that behind every piece of content is a choice that we are responsible for, which is to make our content into quality, impactful, educative, and inspirational content or just for the sake of popularity.
