Pemaknaan Mahasiswa sebagai Generasi Sandwich terhadap E-poster Film ‘Home Sweet Loan’

Abstract

Fenomena generasi sandwich yang semakin meluas di kalangan masyarakat usia produktif di Indonesia menjadi latar belakang utama penelitian ini. Film Home Sweet Loan hadir sebagai karya yang mengangkat tema tersebut, dengan e-poster sebagai media utama untuk menyampaikan pesan film secara visual dan singkat. Penyebaran e-poster melalui Instagram memungkinkan pesan tersebut menjangkau khalayak luas, khususnya mahasiswa generasi sandwich sebagai target khalayak

utamanya. Kelompok ini dianggap tepat untuk mengkaji bagaimana pesan visual e- poster dipahami dan dimaknai berdasarkan pengalaman hidup mereka.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memahami bagaimana teori resepsi Stuart Hall dapat menjelaskan proses pemaknaan mahasiswa sebagai generasi sandwich terhadap e-poster Home Sweet Loan. Penelitian juga menelaah pengaruh susunan elemen visual pada persepsi mahasiswa serta tingkat keterlibatan emosional dan perilaku mereka terhadap media tersebut. Pendekatan teori yang digunakan meliputi teori resepsi Stuart Hall sebagai kerangka utama, teori Gestalt untuk analisis visual, dan teori customer engagement untuk mengukur keterlibatan khalayak. Metode penelitian yang diambil bersifat kualitatif dengan paradigma konstruktivisme. Informan terdiri dari delapan mahasiswa IPB University yang telah menonton film Home Sweet Loan dan memiliki latar belakang sebagai generasi sandwich, serta seorang Art Director dari Visinema Pictures sebagai perwakilan tim produsen. Data dikumpulkan melalui wawancara mendalam, observasi visual e-poster, dan studi pustaka. Analisis dilakukan dengan mengklasifikasikan posisi decoding informan ke dalam tiga kategori, yaitu dominan, negosiasi, dan oposisi, kemudian dikaitkan dengan elemen visual dan dimensi keterlibatan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa lima dari delapan mahasiswa menempati posisi dominan yang memahami dan menerima pesan sesuai makna yang telah dibentuk oleh Art Director melalui e-poster. Tiga informan lainnya berada di posisi negosiasi, yang berarti memiliki makna yang sesuai namun tetap memberikan saran, seperti mengkritisi fokus pesan yang dianggap terlalu menekankan tekanan tanpa menampilkan sisi positif peran generasi sandwich. Tidak ditemukan posisi oposisi atau penolakkan isi pesan. Elemen visual seperti penempatan tokoh, ekspresi wajah, dan elemen pendukung berhasil membangun persepsi kuat sesuai prinsip Gestalt (proximity, similarity, figure-ground, closure, dan continuity). Bentuk keterlibatan mahasiswa terutama tercermin pada reaksi emosional dan rasa bangga terhadap pesan sosial, meskipun aktivitas digital mereka relatif rendah.

The increasingly widespread phenomenon of the sandwich generation among productive-age Indonesians is the primary background for this research. The film "Home Sweet Loan" presents this theme, with e-posters as the primary medium for conveying the film's message visually and concisely.

The distribution of e-posters via Instagram allows these messages to reach a wide audience, particularly sandwich generation students, the primary target audience. This group is considered appropriate for examining how the e-poster's visual message is understood and interpreted based on their life experiences.

This research aims to understand how Stuart Hall's reception theory explains the process of meaning-making by sandwich generation students regarding the "Home Sweet Loan" e-poster. The study also examines the influence of the arrangement of visual elements on students' perceptions and their level of emotional and behavioral involvement with the media. The theoretical approaches used include Stuart Hall's reception theory as the main framework, Gestalt theory for visual analysis, and customer engagement theory to measure audience involvement. The research method used is qualitative with a constructivist paradigm. The informants consisted of eight IPB University students who had watched the film "Home Sweet Loan" and were members of the sandwich generation, as well as an Art Director from Visinema Pictures representing the production team. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, visual observation of the e-poster, and literature review. Analysis was conducted by classifying the informants' decoding positions into three categories: dominant, negotiating, and oppositional, then linking them to visual elements and dimensions of engagement. The results showed that five of the eight students occupied a dominant position, understanding and accepting the message according to the meaning created by the Art Director through the e-poster. The other three informants occupied a negotiating position, meaning they understood the appropriate meaning but still offered suggestions, such as criticizing the message's focus, which was deemed to overemphasize pressure without highlighting the positive aspects of the sandwich generation's role. No oppositional positions or rejection of the message content were found. Visual elements such as character placement, facial expressions, and supporting elements successfully built a strong perception based on Gestalt principles (proximity, similarity, figure-ground, closure, and continuity). Student engagement was primarily reflected in their emotional reactions and pride in the social message, despite their relatively low digital engagement.