Digital Communication Practices and Audience Interaction on the TikTok Account @Prihatamotor: A Netnographic Study of Used Motorcycle Sales

Abstract

This study aims to understand communication practices and audience interactions regarding the sale of used motorcycles on the TikTok account @Prihatamotor. Employing a netnographic approach, the study utilizes social media as the setting for data collection. Data were gathered through observation, documentation, and interviews, and subsequently analyzed using thematic analysis. The data analyzed consisted of four videos, 145 audience comments, and interview results from three informants. Triangulation was used to assess the validity of the data obtained. The findings reveal that audience comments can be categorized into six major themes: product information, credit requirements, price and payment, trust and perception, product availability and location, and social interaction. These six themes frequently appear not only in the videos serving as the primary data but also in other videos on the account. Audience interactions in the comment section demonstrate that the TikTok account serves not merely as a platform for promoting goods but also as a medium for communication between the audience and the account manager. Source triangulation results indicate that videos uploaded by @Prihatamotor particularly those providing information about the motorcycles successfully engage the audience and encourage interaction.

Keywords: Audience Interaction, Social Media, Communication Practices, TikTok