Analisis Resepsi Pengguna TikTok pada Fenomena Bubble Effect dalam Hashtag #KaburAjaDulu

Abstract

The viral hashtag #KaburAjaDulu on TikTok has emerged as a digital discourse reflecting young people's concerns regarding employment conditions and future opportunities in Indonesia. This study aims to analyze how TikTok users interpret the #KaburAjaDulu narrative and to identify audience reception positions toward the messages conveyed in the content. The research employed a qualitative approach using reception analysis based on Stuart Hall’s encoding-decoding model. Data were collected through observations of TikTok content containing the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu and in-depth interviews with five active TikTok users selected purposively from different social backgrounds. Data analysis was conducted through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion drawing, supported by thematic coding. The findings reveal that #KaburAjaDulu content constructs a narrative of working abroad as a more promising future alternative amid domestic economic uncertainty. Audiences interpreted the content differently through dominant reading, negotiated reading, and oppositional reading positions. In addition, TikTok’s algorithm, through its content recommendation system, creates a bubble effect that reinforces users’ exposure to narratives of global labor mobility. This study demonstrates that social media plays a significant role in shaping young people’s perceptions of employment opportunities, social identity, and future orientation in the digital era.