Categorization of Bullying Messages in Films from the 2022–2023 Period

Abstract

Bullying has become a social phenomenon and has only kept growing ever since, especially in the educational field. This phenomenon has piqued the media's interest by using it as the base theme for several films. This research is aimed to identify and categorize the different bullying messages that are present in films casted during the years 2022 to 2023, which are Do Revenge (2022), Luckiest Girl Alive (2022), Brave Citizen (2023), dan Teman Tidur (2023). The qualitative method has been utilized in this research. The researcher found 3 main categories of bullying messages, which are verbal, physical, and psychological. Results showed that verbal bullying is not only in the form of conflicts between said characters, but also the want and need to show social stratification between them. These include differences of power in front of the law, symbols, and the significance of making the victim's identity smaller and smaller, such as the weak and belittled.