THE POLITICS OF INNOVATIVE SELF PRESENTATION: THE CASE STUDY OF DRAMATURGICAL POLITICAL MARKETING IN EAST JAVA, INDONESIA.

The strength of innovative political marketing dramaturgy is on the self, not the role of an actor. There is an actor who plays the role enchantingly, however when the role is played by another actor, suddenly the enchantment is lost. Therefore, the real strength of dramaturgy belongs to the actors, not the roles. Roles may be replaceable, because the most important one is not the role, but the actors’ performance, innovative self-presentation by the actors to play the role. This research finds that the positioning of front stage and back stage has an opposite relation, indeed, the back stage of actors might turns into the front stage, this turning or changing process is not continually done by internal actors or team mates, however the changing or turning process is done by external actors or audiences, out of the team work. The existence of new stage called quasi stage, stage belongs to the actors and audiences who have no roles on dramaturgical event, however in a certain time this stage creates its own role which is able to turn over the prepared “plot”. This quasi stage is different from the outer stage, which is viewed on dramaturgical theory. Displacement of impression management objectives is also found, formerly aimed to create a good impression to the audiences, but eventually a bad impression comes, therefore anun-clarity happens between innovative self-presentation of real and imitation actors. The presentation of self becomes a tool for actors to bring political objectives into reality, intensively, the presentation of self is done symbolically to mobilize the support from society. Self reinforcement of an actor is done by creating self impression. The presentation of self begins from identity-based and interest-based. The existence of political marketing brings out serious implications to the growth of democracy. There are two assumptions about it. Firstly, the assumption comes from people who are scornful to the political marketing practice. Secondly, the assumption comes from people who practice and implement political marketing; their argument is to fulfil what society wants, so that they contribute to increase the quality of general election.