Digital media tensions and indigenous identity: a phenomenological study of Baduy cell phone use in Indonesia

Cell phone use among the Baduy indigenous community presents a paradox between increasing digital connectivity and strict customary norms that prohibit modern technology. This study aims to explore the internal conflicts surrounding mobile phone adoption and to examine its social significance within the community. Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and participant journaling with purposively selected informants, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that mobile phone use serves multiple social functions, including economic support, external communication, and social adaptation, while simultaneously generating tensions with customary law. These tensions manifest in forms of negotiated compliance, selective use, and symbolic justification, reflecting a gap between the formal rigidity of customary rules and their flexible implementation in practice. This study highlights how adaptive negotiation enables the Baduy community to respond to rapid social change while preserving core cultural values. The findings provide an empirical basis for policymakers to design culturally sensitive interventions that balance community welfare with the protection of indigenous principles against the disruptive effects of technological expansion.