Negotiating Love Languages in Digital Romantic Relationships: A Phenomenological Study of Generation Z Couples in Yogyakarta
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v10i2.5497Keywords:
Culture, Generation Z, Love Language, Romantic Relationship, Social MediaAbstract
Forming a romantic relationship at a young age is a complex process, requiring the search for personal meaning, emotional adjustment, and customized communication techniques. This research examines the dynamics of love language communication through social media and the socio-cultural aspects of expressing affection among Generation Z in Yogyakarta. The research employed a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological Moustakas perspective. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with four men and seven women, Gen Z, a total of 11 informants who were selected using snowball sampling methods. The results suggest that quality time and acts of service are the two most prevalent forms of love language, as they are seen as effective in creating emotional closeness and showcasing genuine care. This preference for limited physical touch in public spaces is consistent with Yogyakarta’s cultural values, which emphasize politeness. Research suggests that platforms like TikTok, WhatsApp, and Instagram contribute to romantic expectations and the use of love language, though they are not the key players in relationship dynamics. Establishing open communication is crucial for reconciling disparities in love preferences and sustaining long-term relationships amidst cultural and technological advancements.
References
Azzahra, F. A., Hidayatullah, K. I. I., Wildan, M., Firmansyah, K. M., Answend, M. F. R., Saerang, V. Y., Arifin, D. P., & Sholihatin, E. (2024). Analisis Love Language yang Digunakan Generasi Z dalam Membangun Hubungan Personal. Jurnal Ilmiah Wahana Pendidikan, 10(12), 214–229. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12522438
Bahtiar, H., Machmoed, H. A., & Sahib, H. (2023). Love Language Expressions among Newlyweds and Long-Married Couples: Interpersonal Communication’s Perspective. Jurnal Onoma: Pendidikan, Bahasa Dan Sastra, 9(2), 1642–1653. https://e-journal.my.id/onoma
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Cresswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design Choosing among Five Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W. (2016). Research Design Pendekatan Metode Kualitatif, Kuantitatif, dan Campuran (A. Fawaid & R. K. Pancasari, Eds.; 4th ed.). Pustaka Pelajar.
Fernando, F., Herdiawati, C. D., Nurjannah, E. N., & Lestari, A. D. (2024). Application Love Language: Words of Affirmation in Friendship Relation. Devotion Journal of Research and Community Service, 5(6), 1–8. http://devotion.greenvest.co.id
Fox, J., Osborn, J. L., & Warber, K. M. (2014). Relational dialectics and social networking sites: The role of Facebook in romantic relationship escalation, maintenance, conflict, and dissolution. Computers in Human Behavior, 35, 527–534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.031
Husin Agil, S., & Khadijah. (2025). Dampak Pacaran Generasi Z terhadap Kesehatan Mental. Didaktik: Jurnal Ilmiah PGSD FKIP Universitas Mandiri, 11(2), 254–271.
Ibrahim, M. B. (2024, September 17). Pria Asal Sleman dan Pasangannya di Batu Aborsi-Buang Janinnya ke Kloset. Detikjogja.
Isaf, M. (2020). The Role of Social Media in Dating Trends Among Gen Z College Students. Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 11(2), 59–68.
Jelita, C. L. P., Afgatan, F. F. S., & Wijaya, R. A. (2025). Pengaruh Love Language Terhadap Keharmonisan Pada Pasangan Remaja Di Kota Yogyakarta. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial Politik, 02(03), 722. https://jurnal.ittc.web.id/index.php/jiksp/index
Kepolisian Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. (2024, February 2). Diamankan Polsek Ngaglik: Pria Nekat Aniaya Mantan Pacar hingga Hampir Membunuh. Kepolisian Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. https://jogja.polri.go.id/polda/tribrata-news/online/detail/diamankan-polsek-ngaglik--pria-nekat-aniaya-mantan-pacar-hingga-hampir-membunuh.html
Khobibah, N., Permadi, I., Setyawan, M. A., & Nisa, F. K. (2023). The Phenomenon of Social Shopping in Generation Z. Medium: Jurnal Ilmiah Fakultas Ilmu Komuikasi Universitas Islam Riau, 11(2), 207–220.
Lestari, M. P., & Kusuma, R. S. (2019). Hubungan Romantis di Media Sosial (Resepsi Pengguna terhadap Keterbukaan Hubungan Romantis yang Diunggah Selebgram di Instagram). Komuniti, 11(1), 28–44.
Linawati, A. (2024, August 12). Andhap Asor Prinsip Filsafat Hidup Orang Jawa. Rri.Co.Id.
Morissan. (2013). Teori Komunikasi Individu hingga Massa (Revisi, Vol. 5). Kencana.
Moustakas, C. (2011). Phenomenological research methods. In Phenomenological research methods. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412995658
Muniruddin. (2019). Komunikasi Pengembangan Masyarakat Islam Analisis Teori Dialektika Relasional. Jurnal Pemberdayaan Masyarakat, 7(1), 62–74.
Nashrulloh, M. (2019). Pola Hubungan Relasional pada Pasangan Sejenis (Sebuah Penelitian Empiris dengan Perspektif Teori Dialektika Relasional). Jurnal Tabligh, 20(2), 251–266.
Nurlaila, C., Aini, Q., Setyawati, S., & Laksana, A. (2024). Dinamika Perilaku Gen Z Sebagai Generasi Internet. Konsensus : Jurnal Ilmu Pertahanan, Hukum Dan Ilmu Komunikasi, 1(6), 95–102. https://doi.org/10.62383/konsensus.v1i6.433
Polres Bantul. (2025, March 25). Ini Pengakuan Pria Bunuh Pacar di Bantul yang Simpan Mayat hingga Jadi Kerangka. Humas Polres Bantul DIY.
Pujiono, A., & Farida, M. (2022). Media Sosial sebagai Sumber Belajar bagi Generasi Z. Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Kristen, 7, 252–262. https://cfds.fisipol.ugm.ac.id/id/2022/04/04/difussion-71-antara-tren-dan-interaksi-gaya-bermedia-sosial-
Purnamasari, F. R. (2021). Gambaran Hubungan Romantis pada Wanita yang Melakukan Aborsi atas Permintaan Pasangan. Experientia: Jurnal Psikologi Indonesia, 8(2), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.33508/exp.v8i2.2764
Putra, R. R. A., Utari, P., & Sudarmo, S. (2024). Using Relational Dialectic Theory in the tradition of gift-giving in the Indonesian Education environment. Journal of Social Interactions and Humanities, 3(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.55927/jsih.v3i2.9786
Putri, S. (2024, December 27). Eks Pacar Siram Air Keras ke Mahasiswi Jogja karena Ditolak Balikan. Detiknews. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-7705516/eks-pacar-siram-air-keras-ke-mahasiswi-jogja-karena-ditolak-balikan
Ramadhan, B., Meliasari, M., Alfayeed, M., Lestari, V., & Laksana, A. (2024). Peran Komunikasi bagi Gen-Z dalam Mempertahankan Hubungan Percintaan. Harmoni: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 2(4), 225–232. https://doi.org/10.59581/harmoni-widyakarya.v2i4.4305
Rameitasari, D., Rachmawati, A. P., Siregar, F. R., Nastain, M., & Fariha, N. F. (2025). Pengaruh Media Sosial Tiktok Terhadap Gaya Komunikasi Gen Z di Yogyakarta. Januari, 3(1), 4563–4571. https://journal.institercom-edu.org/index.php/multiple
Ridho, M. R. (2024). Komunikasi Interpersonal Generasi Z dan Generasi Milenial dalam Mengekspresikan Diri di Media Sosial Instagram. Jurnal Sosial Dan Humaniora, 2(2), 239–246. https://doi.org/10.62017/arima
Rubinsky, V., Cooke-Jackson, A., McMahon, T., Roldán, M., & Aragón, A. (2022). “It Strengthened My Core Relationships, and Filtered Out the Rest:” Intimacy Communication During COVID-19. Sexuality and Culture, 26(1), 268–288. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09890-1
Ruliana, P., & Lestari, P. (2019). Teori Komunikasi (1st ed.). PT Raja Grafindo Persada.
Sinfield, G., Goldspink, S., & Wilson, C. (2023). Waiting in the Wings: The Enactment of a Descriptive Phenomenology Study. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231207012
Surijah, E. A., & Kirana, C. T. (2020). Five Love Languages Scale Factor Analysis. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 24(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.7454/hubs.asia.2201118
Surijah, E. A., Prasetyaningsih, N. M. M., & Supriyadi, S. (2021). Popular Psychology versus Scientific Evidence: Love Languagesâ€TM Factor Structure and Connection to Marital Satisfaction. Psympathic : Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi, 7(2), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.15575/psy.v7i2.6634
Surijah, E. A., & Septiarly, Y. L. (2016). Construct Validation of Five Love Languages. Anima Indonesian Psychological Journal, 31(2), 65–76. https://doi.org/10.24123/aipj.v31i2.565
Taber, L., Dominguez, S., & Whittaker, S. (2023). Ignore the Affordances; It’s the Social Norms: How Millennials and Gen-Z Think About Where to Make a Post on Social Media. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 7(CSCW2). https://doi.org/10.1145/3610102
Wen, Y. (2024). Love in the Digital Age: Exploring the Transformation Impact of the Internet on Romantic Relationships. Business, Economics and Management PGMEE, 41, 59.
Yulianti, C. (2024, December 13). 10 Kota Pelajar Terbaik di Asia Tenggara Versi QS WUR 2025, Ada Yogya-Surabaya. Detik Edu. https://www.detik.com/edu/detikpedia/d-7684084/10-kota-pelajar-terbaik-di-asia-tenggara-versi-qs-wur-2025-ada-yogya-surabaya
Zahra, R., & Rakhmad, W. N. (2022). Penerapan Bahasa Cinta dalam Pemeliharaan Hubungan Romantis Jarak Jauh. Interaksi Online, 11(1), 574–588. http://www.fisip.undip.ac.id
Zis, S. F., Effendi, N., & Roem, E. R. (2021). Perubahan Perilaku Komunikasi Generasi Milenial dan Generasi Z di Era Digital. Satwika: Kajian Ilmu Budaya Dan Perubahan Sosial, 5(1), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.22219/satwika.v5i1.15550
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 INJECT (Interdisciplinary Journal of Communication)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
