<![CDATA[This study aims to examine the representation of users' social identities within negative comments on TikTok regarding news coverage by the Tribunnews account about Yasika Aulia, dubbed the "Ruler of the 41 MBG Kitchens." The study employs a qualitative approach utilizing Henri Tajfel and John C. Turner’s Social Identity Theory, encompassing social categorization, social identification, and social comparison. The data consists of nine negative comments selected purposively based on their relevance to the research focus, the level of attention received (indicated by the number of likes), and the content regarding social identity representation. The findings reveal that TikTok users' social identity representations emerge through the processes of grouping social actors into specific categories, assigning meaning and characteristics to these categorized groups, and comparing the conditions and positions of different social groups. Social categorization is evident in groupings such as officials, council members, insiders, and officials' families; social identification is observed through the assignment of meanings such as "business venture," "officials' project," and "scramble for state funds"; while social comparison is seen in contrasts drawn between the rich and the poor, the general public and members of parliament, and ordinary citizens and the elite. Thus, the negative comments on the news coverage serve not merely as reactions to an issue but also as a digital communication space that reveals how users represent social identities through grouping, meaning-making, and intergroup comparison.]]>
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