"Transfer of technology it seems can also be a vehicle for the transfer of ideology. Therefore the recent interest of Australia in appropriate communication technology in order to produce adequate endogenous messages so as to redress imbalances in flow of information and cultural materials. One of t ... he most important findings of the Australian study is therefore the experience that technological progress, understood as modernization particularly in the communication field, is not per se and necessarily a beneficial process. This is also confirmed by the results of the Indonesian study which laid more emphasis on the relationship between communication, social change and development. The Indonesian study has also concentrated more on the socio-cultural impact of the domestic satellite communication project in two cities and five provinces. It was found that different economic and socio-cultural backgrounds strongly influence acceptance and use of the information provided by modern communication media. Mass media distribution and ownership is a prime factor conditioning the effectiveness of modern communication systems in traditional societies. The role of the opinion leaders is closely interrelated with the role of the mass media. Though, in general, the role of mass media as initial sources of information is seen as still relatively small, the local opinion leaders are intensively and regularly using the media. They can even be characterized by their high media exposure and they are respected and influential because of their knowledge of cultural and religious matters, and also because of their innovative and progressive attitudes and practices which seem to mainly stem from the mass media. The study also shows that there is a "two-step-flow of information". The information which is being transmitted by the mass media to the rural populations and mainly passed on and interpreted by the opinion leaders, motivates the villagers to know more, to study and adopt first technical and later cultural innovations and to participate more actively in the life of the nation." (Page ii) more