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New Trends Have Emerged During Pandemic in Indonesia

Culture | 4 July 2020
New Trends Have Emerged During Pandemic in Indonesia
In the age of Covid-19, many people get creative to cope with the crisis and inspire many to participate in trendy culture, such as wearing a fashionable mask to cycling. Photo courtesy of

Amid the pandemic, people have been adapting to new living environment where many of us start to explore new creativity, establish movement, or take a business opportunity in order to cope with the crisis. New cultures emerged, followed by unique trends that become defining moments in 2020. 

Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta has always been in the forefront for new trends, with no exception during the Covid-19, where many local creative minds set these movements in trending lists. 

Fashionable Masks

Today, seeing people wearing a mask is a common thing since one has to protect themselves from Covid-19. Before the pandemic, a mask is designed in boring coloration of either pale white or neutral color surgical mask. As people get back to the routine and go out more often after the social restriction has been eased, many of them feel kind of bored to wear the same mask every day until designer inspire people with a more creative design of the mask that could be mixed and matched with the day to day outfit. While people are getting to know multiple types of face masks such as surgical, N95, and cloth face; the variation also gets diverse with different colours and patterns.


The first thing one must know that Jakarta has no cycling culture. One may have seen people riding a bike during Car Free Day on Sunday. The city is full of pollution and unavoidable congestion that makes cycling harmful. Since the road is quieter due to the pandemic, the cycling community found the perfect time to conquer the street with two wheels as the city is less polluted and only a few people driving their private vehicle. It started to become a trend when the local cycling shop gains a profit as more people buy new bicycles. Folks are seen riding a bike with their friends and some others go to work by riding their bike. We only wish that it’s a new culture that will sustain. 


The rise of healthcare business during the pandemic made the industry evolved with the current trend of telemedicine. Conventionally, people have a consultation with their doctor in office, hospital, or healthcare center (Puskesmas). Today, people install healthcare application in their phones and complete with a fitness app. As people care more about their health, digital healthcare businesses such as halodoc and Alodokter is making profit during the pandemic helping more people to access healthcare in a more convenient way. 

People Jump into Online Culinary Business

One might recognise that friends and your colleague often offer food and culinary product on their social media during the pandemic. As food is an essential business during the crisis, people in different professions jump into culinary business, taking the opportunity to provide what everyone needs—proper and delicious sustenance. Through the spirit of solidarity, tech company and social media facilitate tools that help individuals earn extra income during the pandemic. The most popular product, based on the report by Instagram, is food, since the social media brand accommodated donation, food order, and help small businesses on the platform.

Everything is Virtual, from Online Cinema to the Increase of Digital Creators

Our home is the new creative studio that inspires many to produce more digital contents available on the internet especially coming from non-essential businesses including art, fashion, music, and film industry. During the pandemic, there is new trend in virtual photography as well as digital content creators such as podcasters or YouTubers. Many artists organise virtual concerts and launched digital records. Streaming platforms such as Disney, Hulu, and Netflix have seen the future in online cinema and show while filmmakers are looking forward to producing a homemade film set in the house. Everything is done to survive amidst today’s lingering uncertainty.