UMN Distance Learning Lecturer Discusses Politics of Laughter at Majalengka University Public Lecture

UMN Communication Science Distance Learning Lecturer Silvanus Alvin as the Keynote Speaker. (Faculty of Communication UMN documentation)

MAJALENGKA – Distance Learning (Pelajaran Jarak Jauh/PJJ) Communication Lecturer at Multimedia Nusantara University (UMN), Silvanus Alvin, became the keynote speaker in a Public Lecture themed “Political Communication in the Digital Era and the Politics of Laughter,” held by the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik/FISIP) of Majalengka University, West Java, on Monday, March 6, 2023. A total of 200 participants from students and the general public attended the event.

“I received an invitation from one of the Majalengka University Communication Study Program Lecturers, and I welcome it. In addition, my Head of Department at the Distance Learning Faculty of Communication UMN, Mrs. Helga, also gave full support. This public lecture aims to provide political literacy to Gen-Z students,” Alvin said.

At this event, the Rector of Majalengka University, Dr. Indra Budiman, and the Dean of FISIP Majalengka University, Dr. Tris Dina Susanti, also attended and gave remarks.

Dean of FISIP Dr. Tris Dina Susanti (left), Chancellor of Majalengka University Dr. Indra A Budiman (center), and Silvanus Alvin. (Faculty of Communication UMN documentation)

“If we look at it, this year is a hot year for politics. There are three keywords, political communication, the digital era, and the politics of laughter. The strangest, funniest, and most interesting is the politics of laughter. Laughter is believed to reduce tension. What is not allowed is laughing at someone, let alone laughing by yourself,” said the Chancellor of Majalengka University, Dr. Indra Budiman.

“We are currently in the 5.0 era, so communication is not like the old days, through letters. Now, there are many apps for communication. Likewise, political communication is now on social media so that in addition to utilizing technology, we must also understand (using technology) to avoid unwanted things,” added the Dean of FISIP Universitas Majalengka, Dr. Tris Dina Susanti.

During the presentation of the material, Alvin touched on the importance of communication technology that currently exists to empower the role of society. In addition, related to the concept of laughter politics, he shared two main things with the participants.

“The politics of laughter here talks about three things. First, there is the role of comics who discuss political issues. Second, comics with political material can become disruptors or manipulators of politicians’ images,” added Alvin, who won a scholarship from the Education Fund Management Institution to the University of Leicester in 2017.

The public lecture was also enlivened by a calung performance from Karang Sambung. Calung art is a typical Sundanese cultural performance.

Performance of Sundanese Entertainment, Calung Art. (Faculty of Communication UMN documentation)

About Multimedia Nusantara University

UMN is part of the Kompas Gramedia Group. According to the vision of its founder, Jakob Oetama, UMN was built with the mission to participate in educating the nation’s life and advancing its welfare through higher education. UMN has received an A Accreditation from BAN-PT, ASEAN University Network – Quality Assurance, and is now heading towards becoming a World Class University.

Inaugurated on November 20, 2006, UMN now has 13 study programs: (Diploma) Hospitality, (Bachelor) Informatics, (Bachelor) Computer Engineering, (Bachelor) Electrical Engineering, (Bachelor) Engineering Physics, (Bachelor) Information Systems, (Bachelor) Accounting, (Bachelor) Management, (Bachelor) Communication Science, (Bachelor) Digital Journalism, (Bachelor) Architecture, (Bachelor) Visual Communication Design, and (Bachelor) Film & Animation.

In addition, UMN has also opened postgraduate study programs consisting of a Master of Technology Management and a Master of Communication Science. UMN has also innovated by opening a study program with a Distance Learning method called UMN Digital Learning (UDL), where students can study fully online from anywhere. To date, UMN has more than eight thousand graduates spread throughout Indonesia and abroad.

by Faculty of Communication Sciences Multimedia Nusantara University

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

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