Komunikasi Sosial dalam Interaksi Komunitas Kesenian (Studi Kualitatif Pada Kelompok Kesenian Bantengan Putro Djati Roto, Malang)

This research aims to describe the practices of social communication in daily interactions within the “Putro Djati Roto” (PDR) Bantengan Community in Malang, focusing on building group cohesion and facilitating intergenerational value regeneration. Amidst the challenges of popular culture hegemony, PDR demonstrates identity resilience through adaptive communication patterns. The research employs a descriptive qualitative method, with data collection techniques including participatory observation, in-depth interviews with key informants (founders, management, and members), and documentation. Data analysis was conducted across macro (social communication), meso (symbolic interaction), and micro (interpersonal communication) levels.

The results indicate that social communication practices in PDR are hybrid in nature, where digital stimuli from platforms like YouTube are harmonized through the "anchor" of physical training at the studio as a process of validating traditional rules (pakem). Group cohesion is formed organically in the backstage realm through activities such as jagongan and ngopi (informal gathering and coffee drinking), which successfully reduce power distance and build self-disclosure. The regeneration of values occurs subliminally through the repositioning of seniors as cultural facilitators and validators using the ngemong (nurturing) approach. Additionally, the community engages in impression management to deconstruct the negative stigmas surrounding Bantengan, transforming it into a noble aesthetic art to gain public legitimacy.

This study concludes that egalitarian and inclusive daily interactions are the primary keys to internalizing the values of loyalty and identity as "Cultural Warriors" (Pejuang Budaya). The success of regeneration in PDR does not stem from formal instruction but from the emotional investment built within informal spaces. These findings contribute to the field of art communication regarding the importance of liminal spaces in preserving traditional originality in the era of modernity.