Saber: Jurnal Teknik Informatika, Sains dan Ilmu Komunikasi
Vol. 4 No. 3 (2026): Juli : Jurnal Teknik Informatika, Sains dan Ilmu Komunikasi

Beyond Likes: Constructing Performative Activism and Slacktivism among Indonesian Generation Z on TikTok: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Subroto Subroto (Universitas Ibnu Khaldun Bogor)
Zaldy Handi Aditia (Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika)
Andi Banus Achir (Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika)
Maya May Syarah (Universitas Bina Sarana Informatika)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Jul 2026

Abstract

The rapid growth of TikTok as a short-form video-based social media platform has transformed the nature of digital activism, particularly among Generation Z, the platform's largest user group. Beyond functioning as a medium for information dissemination, TikTok has become a space for digital identity construction, the expression of social concern, and the negotiation of activist meanings. However, the increasing prevalence of online participation has also intensified debates concerning the boundaries between performative activism and slacktivism. This study aims to examine how the discourses of performative activism and slacktivism are constructed within TikTok content produced by Indonesian Generation Z through the perspective of Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis. Employing a qualitative research design, the study applies Fairclough's three-dimensional analytical framework encompassing textual analysis, discursive practice, and social practice. The data were collected through digital documentation and non-participant observation of 56 TikTok videos addressing environmental sustainability, mental health, education, gender equality, and humanitarian issues, together with their captions, hashtags, and audience comments. The findings reveal that digital activism is constructed through persuasive language, visual representations, symbols of solidarity, and communication strategies oriented toward algorithmic visibility. Activist practices on TikTok are predominantly characterized by symbolic forms of participation, including the use of campaign hashtags and calls to like, share, and comment, whereas explicit invitations to engage in offline collective action remain relatively limited. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that performative activism and slacktivism should not be understood as dichotomous concepts but rather as a continuum of digital participation shaped by individual motivations, platform characteristics, participatory culture, and TikTok's algorithmic mechanisms. This study contributes to the advancement of digital communication scholarship by integrating the concepts of performative activism, slacktivism, and Critical Discourse Analysis to explain the transformation of activism within algorithm-driven social media ecosystems.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

SABER

Publisher

Subject

Computer Science & IT

Description

hasil penelitian mengenai Ilmu bidang Teknik Informatika, Sains dan Ilmu Komunikasi, sebagai media bagi para dosen, guru, peneliti dan para praktisi dalam bidang teknologi informasi dari seluruh ...