Exploring Youth Perspectives on Pornography in Indonesia and Malaysia: A Reception Analysis of Attitudes, Impacts, and Social Implications
Abstract
The rapid proliferation of pornographic and sexually violent content on social media has made it easily accessible to a wide audience, including adolescents, raising serious concerns in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, where cultural values, religious teachings, and social norms often conflict with such material. Adolescents, who are among the most active users of platforms like TikTok, encounter pornographic and sexually violent content both intentionally and unintentionally, often through algorithms and suggestive content embedded in the apps. This is also true for adolescents in Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries with similar cultural and historical backgrounds. This study uses reception analysis to explore the interplay between production, text, and audience to understand how adolescents aged 15–19 in Indonesia and Malaysia interpret such material. The results indicate that most participants adopted a negotiating stance, acknowledging the content's existence but rejecting its influence due to strong cultural and religious values. Others demonstrated a resistance stance, struggling with conflicting perceptions stemming from social expectations and personal beliefs. However, none of the participants took a hegemonic position, approving of the content and embracing it in their lives. Based on the results, this study highlights the complexity of dealing with pornography in the digital age, where adolescents must reconcile exposure to massive global media with local cultural frameworks. This underscores the importance of more nuanced communication strategies to address the impact of social media on adolescent development in both Indonesia and Malaysia.
Keywords: Reception analysis, adolescents, pornography, social media, TikTok.
https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2025-4104-19
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