GAYA KOMUNIKASI MAHASISWA DENGAN ORANG TUA PADA HUBUNGAN JARAK JAUH MELALUI WHATSAPP (Studi Pada Mahasiswa Asal Bangka Belitung Di Asrama Bangka Belitung Malang)

The development of communication technology has made WhatsApp the primary means of maintaining communication between students living away from home and their parents. However, every student naturally has a different way of communicating, so the communication style used is not always the same. This study aims to determine the communication style used by students from Bangka Belitung at the Bangka Belitung Dormitory in Malang with their parents in a long-distance relationship through WhatsApp.

This study uses Hafied Cangara's Communication Style Theory—namely Assertive, Passive, Aggressive, and Passive-Aggressive communication styles—as the main theory, and Sandra Petronio's Communication Privacy Management Theory as a supporting theory. The research method used is a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. Data collection techniques were carried out through in-depth interviews with students from Bangka Belitung at the Bangka Belitung Dormitory in Malang, selected using a purposive sampling technique. The data obtained were analyzed qualitatively to identify the communication style used by the subjects with their parents in a long-distance relationship through WhatsApp.

The results of the study show that there are differences in the use of communication styles among the subjects with their parents. Subjects 1, 2, and 3 showed characteristics of an assertive communication style, in which the communication established was warm, healthy, open, and conducted routinely despite busy schedules. Meanwhile, subjects 4, 5, 6, and 7 showed characteristics of a passive communication style, in which the communication established was functional and situational, occurring only when there was a particular need. In addition, aggressive and passive-aggressive communication styles were not found among the research subjects. This study also found that the level of information openness and privacy boundary management is related to the communication style that emerges in long-distance relationships through WhatsApp.