Electronic Theses and Dissertation

Penelitian kualitatif deskriptif ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi jenis-jenis kata slang yang digunakan oleh pemengaruh (influencer) Generasi Z di YouTube serta menguji fungsi dari ekspresi tersebut. Data diperoleh dari dua kreator konten YouTube, IShowSpeed dan Kai Cenat, melalui enam video pilihan yang dipublikasikan pada September 2025 dengan teknik observasi manual dan dokumentasi. Seluruh interaksi dalam video ditranskrip dan dianalisis menggunakan lembar analisis berdasarkan teori Allan dan Burridge. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan adanya lima jenis slang yang digunakan, yaitu fresh and creative, flippant, clipping, imitative, dan acronym. Jenis fresh and creative menjadi yang paling dominan digunakan, sedangkan akronim paling jarang muncul. Dari segi fungsi, slang paling sering digunakan untuk mengungkapkan kesan (expressing impressions) dan memulai percakapan informal yang santai. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa komunikasi digital lisan di YouTube lebih mengutamakan ekspresi identitas kreatif dan penilaian sosial spontan dibandingkan bentuk penyingkatan bahasa yang biasanya ditemukan dalam komunikasi digital berbasis teks.

This descriptive qualitative research aims to identify the types of slang words used by Generation Z influencers on YouTube and to examine the functions of those slang expressions. The data were obtained from two Generation Z influencers, IShowSpeed and Kai Cenat, as representatives of YouTube content creators. The data were collected from six selected videos published in September 2025 through manual observation and documentation. All interactions in the videos were transcribed, and the slang expressions were then analyzed using analytical sheets based on the theory proposed by Allan and Burridge. The findings show that the influencers used five types of slang, namely fresh and creative, flippant, clipping, imitative, and acronym. The results also indicate that fresh and creative slang was the most frequently used type, while acronyms appeared least often. In terms of function, slang was most commonly used to express impressions, followed by its use in initiating relaxed and informal conversations. The study concludes that spoken digital communication on YouTube prioritizes creative identity expression and immediate social judgment rather than the abbreviated language forms commonly found in text based digital communication.