Recently on X (formerly Twitter), there have been many posts with the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu posted by young people, which became another social media trend sweeping the country.
Adding the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu in the caption, many posts have emerged containing invitations to go abroad, either through college scholarships, job vacancies, or other things. The posts are usually in the form of comparisons between life in Indonesia and life overseas.
The hashtag has become a forum for the younger Indonesian generation to express their concerns about the economic, political, and social conditions in the country which are considered to still have shortcomings. The strengthening of this hashtag is also an indication that, in reality, many Indonesians are seriously considering leaving their country for the sake of enjoying a better life abroad.
As a response to this #KaburAjaDulu social media trend, many netizens, so far, have recommended countries like Germany, Japan, the United States, and Australia as the ideal countries to relocate to.
The hashtag #KaburAjaDulu started appearing on X back in December 2024. Initially, this trend was a discussion space to share tips on getting a job abroad, scholarship information, salary estimates, and in-depth insights into the challenges of adapting to culture abroad. However, over time, the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu has now transformed into an outpouring of young people’s disappointment with conditions in Indonesia. Various problems such as soaring prices of basic necessities, tax burdens, and employment struggles have triggered the change in the meaning of this trend. Furthermore, the #KaburAjaDulu trend is increasingly associated with the ‘brain drain’ phenomenon: a social situation in which skilled Indonesian talents have chosen to relocate to another country – some of them even changing citizenship – to achieve a better standard of living.
On the other hand, the #KaburAjaDulu trend has also given rise to a number of debates. In response to this social media trend, some Indonesians have counter-argued and pointed out that the price of basic necessities in Indonesia remains relatively cheaper than in other countries.