TikTok social media has become a popular digital space for sharing information, interacting, and expressing self-identity. The TikTok account @wiki_etika is one example of a user who delivers food reviews with a distinctive delivery style, which often contains implicit or explicit sexual narratives and symbolism. This style elicits various responses from the audience, especially regarding communication ethics and interpretation of sexuality issues in the digital public space. This study uses a qualitative approach with a reception study method based on Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding theory to analyze how the audience interprets messages in the TikTok content @wiki_etika. In this study, data was collected through in-depth interviews with 5 respondents who met the criteria. In addition, documentation of user comments was carried out in collecting data. The results of the study showed differences in the reception of meaning. One informant was in a dominant-hegemonic position, four others were in a negotiated reading position, and no informants occupied an oppositional reading position. These findings reveal that even though sexual narratives are not conveyed explicitly, the audience still reads them with a variety of gender, cultural, and moral value lenses. The study also noted that understanding digital sexuality and commenting ethics remains a challenge, especially amidst the lack of audience awareness of the legal and social consequences of speech on social media.

Authors:
Rezika Ardia Dinda Arrini, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia

About the Presenter(s)
Rezika Ardia Dinda Arrini, S.I.Kom, is an active student in the Master of Communication Studies program at Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. Her research focuses on digital media communication and culture.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rezikaardiadindaarrini/

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