COMMICAST

Understanding paid subscription news: Audience perspectives on Readers' experiences and challenges

Tunjung Senja Widuri — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Economic disruption in the digital media industry has encouraged news organizations to adopt subscription-based schemes as a sustainability strategy; however, within an ecosystem dominated by advertising-driven platforms and algorithmic personalization, news consumers are increasingly exposed to declining journalistic quality, widespread misinformation, reduced information diversity, and the reinforcement of filter bubbles. Against this backdrop, this study aims to examine the consumption of subscription-based news in Indonesia by analyzing readers’ acceptance of this model and their capacity to address issues of information quality, misinformation, diversity of sources, and polarization. This research employs a phenomenological approach, collecting data through in-depth interviews with three participants from the millennial and Generation Z cohorts who had accessed paid news services in Indonesia, which were subsequently analyzed using descriptive qualitative techniques. The findings indicate that subscription schemes contribute to improved quality and depth of news consumption, as subscribers tend to be more selective and place greater value on journalistic standards, whereas non-subscribers rely more heavily on free sources that are often less comprehensive. Nevertheless, paid access also carries the potential to restrict information availability and narrow the range of perspectives encountered. This study finds no conclusive evidence that subscription-based consumption mitigates polarization or significantly reduces the filter bubble effect. Therefore, this research demonstrates that subscription-based journalism can enhance information quality and limit exposure to misinformation, yet simultaneously risks fostering information exclusivity, underscoring the need for news organizations to balance monetization strategies with broader commitments to accessibility, diversity, and informational inclusivity.

Representation of family norms in the short story collection “Amor Untuk Morin” by Richa Miskiyya

Sabrina Andin Nugroho, Tristanti Apriyani — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Literary representations of family frequently oscillate between ideals of romantic harmony and depictions of relational fractures, as reflected in “Amor untuk Morin”, a short story collection by Richa Miskiyya, which problematizes the stability of family norms. This study aims to analyze the representation of family norms in the collection through Talcott Parsons’ structural-functional framework, focusing on the extent to which normative functions operate within the familial institution. By situating contemporary Indonesian short fiction within sociological theory, this research contributes to interdisciplinary literary studies that integrate structural-functionalism into textual analysis of family discourse. Employing a qualitative descriptive design, the study applies close reading to identify and interpret narrative structures, dialogues, and symbolic elements, followed by data tabulation and triangulation to ensure analytical validity. The findings demonstrate that family norms in “Amor untuk Morin” are represented as inconsistently implemented; the family is not constructed as a consistently warm or cohesive unit, and normative structures fail to function effectively as institutional mechanisms regulating members’ roles and behaviors. These results indicate a narrative critique of the functionalist ideal of the family and suggest that contemporary literary texts articulate tensions between normative expectations and lived familial realities, thereby reinforcing the analytical relevance of Parsons’ framework in examining shifting constructions of family in modern literature.

Evaluating Indonesian Consumer perceptions of H&M's Eco-Friendly campaign: The mediating role of perceived quality

Immanuel Dwi Asmoro Tunggal, Muhammad Thoyib Amali — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The growing number of green products has sparked academic and practical interest in the perceived value of green products. Because of the growing number of people concerned about environmental issues, green perceived value plays an important role in brand attitude. However, perceived green value cannot be a single variable that explains brand attitude, since consumers in developing countries are inconsistent in their purchase of green products. There must be another variable. This study aims to explore the effects of green perceived value and brand prestige on brand attitude, with perceived quality as a mediator. This study uses a survey method with 200 samples across Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya. To test the hypothesis, this study uses Smart PLS to obtain the results. The finding is that perceived quality plays an important role in shaping brand attitude. Perceived quality could also fully mediate the relationship between Green perceived value and brand prestige toward brand attitude. The contribution of this research is to remind companies to improve their marketing communications to develop perceived quality.

Media communication analysis of the Instagram account @yasalamfcb in building its Followers’ trust

Syahrul Tanjung, Dani Fadillah — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The development of social media has transformed digital communication into a relational space in which credibility and trust are socially constructed. Although prior studies have extensively examined trust within transactional contexts such as influencer marketing and brand communication scholarly attention to the construction of trust within identity-based communities, particularly football fandom on Instagram, remains limited. This study aims to analyze how the Instagram account @yasalamfcb constructs perceived trust through message structure and symbolic representation. Theoretically, this research integrates Source Credibility Theory and the Social Construction of Reality perspective to elucidate the mechanisms through which trust is formed in digital communities. A qualitative approach was employed, utilizing thematic content analysis of five posts published between March and April 2025, selected purposively, alongside an open-ended survey of five active followers to triangulate audience perceptions. The analysis focused on the dimensions of expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness, as well as the processes of externalization, objectivation, and internalization. This study concludes that perceived trust within digital fandom communities emerges from a process of social construction shaped by the interplay between symbolic representation and audience participation. The study’s novelty lies in extending credibility-based trust models to the context of sports communities. However, limitations include the relatively small sample size and restricted observation period. Future research is recommended to employ longitudinal and comparative designs to further advance the analysis of digital trust construction.

Selling a lifestyle: A representation study of Kylie Jenner’s cosmetic advertisements

Vinka Fatkhania Salisa, Krisna Sujiwa — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines how Kylie Jenner’s advertisements construct and disseminate meanings of beauty, luxury, and motherhood through Stuart Hall’s representation theory. Using qualitative document analysis of two YouTube advertisements Kylie Lip Kit and Kylie Baby the research applies Hall’s encoding/decoding model within a postmodern framework to analyze how visual and narrative strategies shape audience interpretation. The findings show that Jenner’s self–representation operates at the intersection of euthenics and commodification, transforming beauty and motherhood into aspirational consumer identities. Her branding reinforces neoliberal discourses of self – reinvention and feminine subjectivity in digital culture. This study extends Hall’s representation theory into the domain of influencer driven brand culture, highlighting how celebrity entrepreneurship reconfigures cultural symbols within social media advertising. This research offers a novel extension of representation theory by situating celebrity motherhood within the political economy of influencer driven luxury branding.

Emotional openness as an affective norm in representations of Gen Z masculinity on TikTok

Firna Sayyidatul Qurroh 'Aini, Nur'annafi, Zulaikha — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the representation and normalization of emotional openness as an affective norm in Gen Z masculinity on TikTok, focusing on the fineshyt content trend. Using a qualitative discourse analysis approach, the study analyzes 15 TikTok videos featuring emotional expression by male Gen Z creators and 436 audience comments purposively selected based on affective relevance. Data were collected between August - October 2025 and examined to identify patterns of emotional expression and audience interaction. The findings show that emotional openness is not articulated solely as individual expression but is collectively legitimized through audience responses that function as affective validation. Three dominant patterns of audience response emerge: affirmative appreciation of emotionally open masculinity, resistance grounded in traditional masculine norms, and relational fantasies that frame emotional openness as affective appeal. These interactions indicate a contextual shift in the representation of masculinity within specific TikTok content, where emotional expression is positioned as socially acceptable rather than as a sign of weakness. While previous studies on digital masculinity have primarily focused on male self-representation, this study highlights the central role of audience interaction in shaping and normalizing emotional expression. This study extends existing masculinity and digital communication scholarship by conceptualizing emotional openness not merely as individual expression, but as an affective norm co-produced through audience interaction. By positioning the comment section as a site of affective negotiation, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of how gender norms are constructed within participatory digital environments.

Characteristics of the Social Commerce Environment and the Formation of Purchase Intention: A Study on Tiktok Shop Users

Nilam Basuki, Raden Roro Ratna Roostika — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The development of the digital economy has changed people's consumption patterns from conventional models to technology-based platforms, especially through the integration of social media and trading activities known as social commerce. TikTok Shop as one of the leading social commerce platforms in Indonesia presents challenges in understanding the mechanism of forming consumer purchase intent through the characteristics of the digital environment and the social interactions created in it. This study aims to analyze the influence of social commerce environmental characteristics on purchase intent by considering the mediating role of interpersonal interaction and perceived value of customers. This research contributes to the development of an integrative model that explains the complex mechanism of buying intention formation in the context of live streaming-based social commerce. The research method used a quantitative approach with a causal design involving 200 respondents who were active users of TikTok Shop in Indonesia. Data collection was carried out through an online questionnaire with a six-point Likert scale, then analyzed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling. The theoretical framework adopts the Stimulus-Organism-Response model to explain the causal relationships between constructs. The results showed that the characteristics of the social commerce environment had a significant effect on interpersonal interaction (β=0.525; p<0.05), interpersonal interaction had a significant effect on the perceived value of customers (β=0.639; p<0.05), the value perceived by customers had a significant effect on purchase intention (β=0.579; p<0.05), and there was a direct influence of environmental characteristics on purchase intention (β=0.282; p<0.05). The research model was able to explain the variance in purchase intent by 61.5 percent, confirming that all hypotheses were accepted with a strong level of significance. The findings confirm that an interactive platform environment that supports socialization effectively shapes purchase intent through social interaction mechanisms and value creation for consumers.