THE STARBUCKS BEARISTA CUP AS A SITE OF MORAL POLICING: A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF TIKTOK'S DISTRIBUTION DOMAIN

DECCHYA CHELLA ASSHAVAL, . (2026) THE STARBUCKS BEARISTA CUP AS A SITE OF MORAL POLICING: A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF TIKTOK'S DISTRIBUTION DOMAIN. Sarjana thesis, UNIVERSITAS NEGERI JAKARTA.

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Abstract

This study examines how TikTok's domain of distribution functions as a site of moral policing in the context of the Starbucks Bearista Cup controversy, and how consumers negotiate their subjectivity in response to the discursive pressure produced through content circulation. The Bearista Cup, a limited-edition glass tumbler released by Starbucks in November 2025, became the focal point of a public moral conflict when videos celebrating its purchase circulated through TikTok's ‘For You’ Page algorithm and reached audiences embedded within an ongoing global boycott of Starbucks linked to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This study applies Multimodal Discourse Analysis (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001) as its primary framework, with concentrated attention on the distribution domain. Bourdieu's (1991) concept of symbolic power, Foucault's (1977) analysis of disciplinary power, and Noelle-Neumann's (1974) Spiral of Silence theory serve as supporting interpretive frameworks. A qualitative case study design was adopted, with purposive sampling used to select a corpus of eight publicly accessible TikTok videos and their associated comment sections, published between November 2025 and February 2026. The distribution domain was operationalized through four indicators: recontextualization, Stitch and Duet interactions, comment ranking, and engagement metrics. A total of thirty high-engagement comments were coded into four categories: Moral Accusation, Normative Enforcement, Consumer Defense, and Spiral of Silence. The findings show that Moral Accusation and Normative Enforcement together accounted for 83.3% of the coded high-engagement comments, while Consumer Defense and Spiral of Silence comments were structurally marginalized by the platform's like-based ranking system. The analysis reveals that TikTok's distribution domain actively transforms the meaning of consumer content through recontextualization, embeds moral judgment into the structure of content circulation through Stitch and Duet features, and constructs moral authority through algorithmic comment ranking. Three consumer subjectivity negotiation strategies were identified: behavioral deflection, ideological alignment with behavioral exception, and coded ironic expression. This study concludes that TikTok's distribution domain does not merely transmit content but functions as an active disciplinary apparatus through which moral norms are enforced, consumer identities are publicly judged, and dissenting voices are structurally silenced before individual expressive choices are made. Keywords: Moral Policing, Multimodal Discourse Analysis, TikTok, Consumer Subjectivity, Symbolic Power, Spiral of Silence, Starbucks Bearista Cup. ***** Penelitian ini mengkaji bagaimana domain distribusi TikTok berfungsi sebagai arena moral policing dalam konteks kontroversi Starbucks Bearista Cup, serta bagaimana konsumen menegosiasikan subjektivitas mereka sebagai respons terhadap tekanan diskursif yang dihasilkan melalui sirkulasi konten. Bearista Cup, sebuah gelas edisi terbatas yang dirilis Starbucks pada November 2025, menjadi pusat konflik moral publik ketika video-video yang merayakan pembelian produk tersebut beredar melalui algoritma ‘For You’ Page TikTok dan menjangkau khalayak yang tengah terlibat dalam gerakan boikot global terhadap Starbucks yang berkaitan dengan konflik Israel-Palestina. Penelitian ini menggunakan Analisis Wacana Multimodal (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2001) sebagai kerangka utama, dengan fokus pada domain distribusi. Konsep kekuasaan simbolik Bourdieu (1991), analisis kekuasaan disipliner Foucault (1977), dan teori Spiral of Silence Noelle-Neumann (1974) digunakan sebagai kerangka interpretatif pendukung. Penelitian ini mengadopsi desain studi kasus kualitatif dengan purposive sampling untuk memilih korpus delapan video TikTok yang dapat diakses secara publik beserta bagian komentarnya, yang diterbitkan antara November 2025 dan Februari 2026. Domain distribusi dioperasionalisasikan melalui empat indikator: rekontekstualisasi, interaksi Stitch dan Duet, peringkat komentar, dan metrik keterlibatan. Sebanyak tiga puluh komentar dengan keterlibatan tinggi dikodekan ke dalam empat kategori: Moral Accusation, Normative Enforcement, Consumer Defense, dan Spiral of Silence. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa Moral Accusation dan Normative Enforcement secara bersama-sama menyumbang 83,3% dari keseluruhan komentar yang dikodekan, sementara komentar Consumer Defense dan Spiral of Silence secara struktural terpinggirkan oleh sistem peringkat berbasis likes pada platform tersebut. Analisis mengungkapkan bahwa domain distribusi TikTok secara aktif mentransformasi makna konten konsumen melalui rekontekstualisasi, menanamkan penilaian moral ke dalam struktur sirkulasi konten melalui fitur Stitch dan Duet, serta membangun otoritas moral melalui peringkat komentar algoritmik. Tiga strategi negosiasi subjektivitas konsumen berhasil diidentifikasi: defleksi perilaku, penyelarasan ideologis dengan pengecualian perilaku, dan ekspresi ironis yang bersandi. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa domain distribusi TikTok tidak sekadar menyebarkan konten, melainkan berfungsi sebagai aparatur disipliner aktif yang melaluinya norma-norma moral ditegakkan, identitas konsumen dinilai secara publik, dan suara-suara yang berbeda pendapat dibungkam secara struktural bahkan sebelum pilihan ekspresif individual dibuat. Kata Kunci: Moral Policing, Analisis Wacana Multimodal, TikTok, Subjektivitas Konsumen, Kekuasaan Simbolik, Spiral of Silence, Starbucks Bearista Cup.

Item Type:	Thesis (Sarjana)
Additional Information:	1). Prof. Eva Leiliyanti, S.S, M. Hum., Ph.D. 2). Nurrahma Restia Fatkhiyati, S.S., M.Li.
Subjects:	Bahasa dan Kesusastraan > Bahasa Inggris Bahasa dan Kesusastraan > Sastra Inggris
Divisions:	FBS > S1 Sastra Inggris
Depositing User:	Decchya Chella Asshaval .
Date Deposited:	21 Aug 2026 07:02
Last Modified:	21 Aug 2026 07:02
URI:	http://repository.unj.ac.id/id/eprint/72730

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