Making the digital village: negotiating governance, technology, and social change in rural Java

This article highlights key findings from a PhD dissertation examining the development of Village Information Systems (Sistem Informasi Desa or SID) in rural Java, focusing on how digital governance is locally negotiated rather than simply implemented. Drawing on an in-depth case study of Panggungharjo Village in Bantul, Yogyakarta, the study explores how SID functions as a socio-technical assemblage shaped by governance structures, cultural practices, and power relations. Using a qualitative case study approach involving interviews, observations, and document analysis, the research demonstrates that SID contributes to social transformation not merely through technological adoption but through shifts in data practices, bureaucratic norms, and community participation. However, these transformations are uneven and contested, particularly in relation to digital inequalities and differing capacities among social groups. The article argues that digital village initiatives should be understood as ongoing processes of negotiation, where technology becomes meaningful only through local agency, institutional creativity, and social adaptation.