Analysis of SMAN 5 Puspanegara’s Perception of the Issue of Cyberbullying in the Movie Cyberbully

Abstract

This study aims to determine the perception of SMAN 5 Puspanegara students towards the issue of cyberbullying shown in the movie Cyberbully. A descriptive qualitative approach was used in this study by interviewing five students of SMAN 5 Puspanegara as key informants. The interview results showed diverse interpretations among informants despite watching the same movie. The reception of bullying scenes is influenced by personal experiences of being a victim or witness of bullying. Informants who have been victims tend to feel satisfied to see the perpetrators punished. In addition, informants realize that verbal bullying has a broader impact than physical because it affects mentally. Based on Stuart Hall's encoding-decoding theory, the five informants were grouped into three reception categories. The implication is that social experience is important in understanding audience reception and the movie plays a role in raising awareness of the impact of cyberbullying. In conclusion, the meaning of the scene is very subjective but the movie helps raise awareness of the dangers of cyberbullying.