PENERIMAAN SANTRI TENTANG POLITIK IDENTITAS DALAM VIDEO AKUN TIKTOK KALTIM TODAY (STUDI RESEPSI PADA SANTRI PONDOK PESANTREN HIDAYATUL MUBTADI'IEN AN NAASYI-IEN MALANG)

The TikTok video posted by the account Kaltim Today titled “Cak Imin: Rakyat yang Berideologi NU Kalau Tidak Pilih ‘AMIN’, Saya Ragukan ke NU-annya!” is a short piece of content presenting Cak Imin’s political statement ahead of the 2024 presidential election. In the statement, Cak Imin claims that all members of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) would certainly support the AMIN pair. This statement sparked various responses from TikTok users, including criticism and rejection from netizens who also identify with NU ideology.
This study aims to explore how students (santri) of Pondok Pesantren Hidayatul Mubtadi’ien An Naasyi-ien Malang perceive the message of identity politics conveyed in the video. The research employs a descriptive qualitative method using Stuart Hall’s encoding-decoding theory as an analytical framework. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with five santri, all of whom are first-time voters in the 2024 general election.
The findings show that most of the santri occupy an oppositional position, meaning they completely reject the meaning intended by Cak Imin and reinterpret it based on their own rationality, experiences, and personal values. Meanwhile, others take a negotiated position while they still respect NU traditions and religious leaders (kiai), they also consider a leader’s competence and capability rationally when making political choices. These differences illustrate the dynamic thinking of NU youth toward identity politics, indicating that their political perspectives cannot be generalized solely based on religious affiliation.