Representation of Indonesian Millennials in The Presidential Election in The Mass Media (Critical Discourse Analysis Approach to an article in The Jakarta Post)

Abstract

The present study investigates the representation of Indonesian millennials in the 2019 presidential election in the mass media. How the media portray the millennials in news media becomes the purpose of this research. Qualitative research is employed to analyze the data. The data itself is taken from a news article from the Jakarta Post, “Millennials could be key to the election if they vote.” The tool used to analyze the written text is the critical analysis discourse proposed by Van Dijk (2011) and Fairclough (2005). It is found that millennials in the news article view millennials as an object. Their roles have not been explored deeply to see their potential in developing better political life. Millennials are urgently needed only for the sake of their voices and votes not their contribution to the politic itself.