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February 5, 2026
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May 30, 2026
Published
May 31, 2026
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Abstract

The revision of the Indonesian National Armed Forces Bill (RUU TNI) has sparked a wave of public opposition, including through digital activism on the TikTok platform using the hashtag #TolakRUUTNI. This study used a qualitative approach with a netnography method through observation of 23 selected TikTok videos and user interactions in the comments section. The results show that digital activism through the hashtag #TolakRUUTNI is constructed into three main themes of criticism, namely criticism of the substance and legislative process, framing of the context of actors and history, and criticism of public apathy, accompanied by calls for solidarity. Criticism is conveyed through various digital communication strategies, namely citizen journalism, sarcasm, fear appeal, emotional expression, playful activism, and calls to action. This study contributes to the study of digital communication in understanding how TikTok is used as a space for conveying messages about social and political issues.

Keywords

Digital activism netnography public sphere TikTok #TolakRUUTNI

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Copyright (c) 2026 Jenna Jelajah Cakrawala, Subekti Wirabhuana Priyadharma, Detta Rahmawan

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Author Biographies

Jenna Jelajah Cakrawala, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

Jenna Jelajah Cakrawala is a graduate of Communication Management from the Faculty of Communication Sciences (Fikom), Universitas Padjadjaran. She completed her undergraduate studies in 2026. Her academic interests focus on media studies and branding, particularly in understanding how communication strategies shape audience perception.

Subekti Wirabhuana Priyadharma, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

Dr. phil. Subekti W. Priyadharma, M.A. is a lecturer at the Faculty of Communication Studies (Fikom), Padjadjaran University (Unpad). He completed his master's degree (2008) and doctoral degree (2021) in the field of media and communication research at Erfurt University, Germany after previously obtaining a Bachelor of Social Science from Fikom Unpad in 2004. In carrying out his doctoral studies, he received a scholarship from DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).

His dissertation entitled "Internet and Social Change in Rural Indonesia: From Development Communication to Communication Development in Decentralized Indonesia" was published by Springer, Germany in 2021 with the same title. His research themes include: communication for social change, ICT4D, new media and society, public sphere studies, and media ecology. Subekti is open to collaborating with other academics/institutions to conduct joint research.

Detta Rahmawan, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

Researcher at Faculty of Communication Science - Universitas Padjadjaran

How to Cite
Cakrawala, J. J., Priyadharma, S. W., & Rahmawan, D. (2026). TikTok activism: Analisis aktivisme digital #TolakRUUTNI di platform TikTok . Jurnal Mahasiswa Komunikasi Cantrik, 6(1), 61–80. https://doi.org/10.20885/cantrik.vol6.iss1.art4
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