A case study of Bateq community adapted to communication technology in Taman Negara
List of Authors
  • Maisarah Abd Hamid , Norazlina Rahmat

Keyword
  • Bateq people, digitalisation, cultural, lifestyle, sustainability

Abstract
  • Bateq, the Aboriginal people living in Pahang National Park in Malaysia, are heavily involved in the tourism industry. Among the uniqueness of the Bateq communities are their unique lifestyle, culture, and traditions. However, digital technologies have proliferated among the younger generation, creating disadvantages in the Bateq Indigenous community’s way of life. This exploratory study was conducted to explore the type of technology used by the Bateq people from the tourism stakeholders’ perspectives. Four villages were visited for this purpose: Kuala Atok Village, Kuala Sg Tabong Village, Kuala Sungai Yong Village and Dedari Village. Observation and in-depth interviews were conducted with eleven Bateq people and three tourism stakeholders. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The result indicates that the Bateq community has already adapted to modern technology. The young respondents agree that technology is important, and most have smartphones. They use their smartphone for social media and watch online videos as the internet connection is available in some areas of their village. Additionally, they used solar power for charging their phones and lighting purposes. However, the tourism stakeholders were against the technology adoption behaviour among the Bateq community. The tourism organisation prefers that the Bateq people continue their traditional lifestyle with minimal technology interaction because it is important for their culture and lifestyle sustainability, which retains the tourism stakeholders’ business activities. Future studies should examine the preferences of technology adoption practices among the Bateq community and tourism stakeholders and how it would benefit the industry. Perhaps, they could adopt technology without affecting their way of living to ensure that future generations continue to practice and enjoy the uniqueness of Bateq ethnic culture and lifestyles.

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