The Representation of Ideology in Nadiem Makarim Case by Tech in Asia: An Appraisal and Critical Discourse Analysis Approach

Authors

  • Dini Eka Maulida Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
  • Madeleine Winday Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
  • T. Thyrhaya Zein Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
  • Nurlela Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v9i1.3440

Keywords:

Appraisal, Ideology, Nadiem Makarim Case, Tech in Asia

Abstract

This study investigates the representation of Nadiem Makarim in TikTok content published by Tech in Asia by employing Appraisal Theory and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The research aims to identify the evaluative language used in the discourse and examine the ideological tendencies reflected in the media representation. The data consist of 109 clauses collected from opinion, interview, straight news, and hard news content related to the media-reported alleged corruption case involving Nadiem Makarim. A qualitative descriptive approach is employed in this study. The results show that engagement is the most dominant appraisal resource (71.5%), followed by attitude (20.2%) and graduation (8.3%). The frequent use of heteroglossic and monoglossic resources suggests that Tech in Asia constructs legitimacy through selected external voices, particularly from the technology and business sectors. The findings also indicate that Nadiem Makarim is predominantly represented as an innovator and entrepreneurial leader rather than being primarily associated with the legal allegations. From the perspective of Fairclough’s social practice framework, the discourse appears to reflect values related to innovation, entrepreneurial leadership, legal certainty, and technological development. Overall, this study demonstrates how evaluative language contributes to the construction of meaning and representation within contemporary digital media discourse.

Author Biographies

  • Dini Eka Maulida, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

    The students in Master of Linguistics Program Study 

  • Madeleine Winday, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

    The Sudent in Master of Linguistics Study Program 

References

Abdulkadir, A. U. (2023). A critical discourse analysis of selected political interviews in Nigerian news media. Journal of Languages, Linguistics and Literary Studies, 3(2), 47–61. https://doi.org/10.57040/jllls.v3i2.432

Alshehri, A., & Imran, M. (2025). Reader positioning and engagement strategies in English and Arabic online discourse. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12, Article 1215. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05593-2

Cahyono, S. P., Areni, G. K. D., & Sumarlam. (2021). Ideology and power in political news text: Appraisal in critical discourse analysis. Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature, 15(2), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v15i2.28896

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Dey, S. K., & Tanty, G. (2022). Setting the future of complete digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions. The Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 16(2), 105–112.

Di Marco, N., Loru, E., Bonetti, A., Serra, A. O. G., Cinelli, M., & Quattrociocchi, W. (2024). Patterns of linguistic simplification on social media platforms over time. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(50), e2412105121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2412105121

Dwivedi, Y. K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D. L., Carlson, J., Filieri, R., Jacobson, J., Jain, V., Karjaluoto, H., Kefi, H., Krishen, A. S., Kumar, V., Rahman, M. M., Raman, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., Rowley, J., Salo, J., Tran, G. A., & Wang, Y. (2021). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions. International Journal of Information Management, 59, 102168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102168

Fairclough, N. (1995). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Longman.

Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Imran, M. A. (2025). Redefining older Australians: Moving beyond stereotypes and consumer narratives in print media representations. Media International Australia, 194(1), 148–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X231208788

Kadhim, A. J., & Faris, A. A. (2025). Exploring ideological positioning in Barack Obama’s speech on same-sex marriage: An appraisal theory analysis. Misan Journal of Academic Studies (Humanities, Social and Applied Sciences), 24(54), 57–79.

Martin, J. R., & White, P. R. R. (2005). The language of evaluation: Appraisal in English. Palgrave Macmillan.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Nanavaratorn, N. (2025). Evaluative language in U.S. presidential media coverage: An appraisal analysis and its pedagogical implications for ELT. International Journal of Sociologies and Anthropologies Science Reviews, 5(3), 553–566. https://doi.org/10.60027/ijsasr.2025.6070

Ononiwu, C., Sunday, A. B., & Oyeleye, A. L. (2025). (Re)constructed identities in the social media discourse of Nigeria’s #EndSARS. Visual Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14703572251390770

Pandanwangi, P. S., Nurhayati, N., & Qodir, Z. (2020). Critical analysis of Ganjar’s speech COVID-19: A constructed political identity. Langkawi: Journal of The Association for Arabic and English, 6(2), 157–172. https://doi.org/10.31332/lkw.v0i0.2190

Rahma, N., Mahmudah, M., Sultan, S., Amir, J., & Saleh, M. (2025). Ideologi dalam konten TikTok Gen Z (@Rianfahardhi): Tinjauan analisis wacana kritis Ruth Wodak. Ideguru: Jurnal Karya Ilmiah Guru, 10(1), 825–829. https://doi.org/10.51169/ideguru.v10i1.1693

Rahmawati, A., Anggriana, F., Pratiwi, I. K., & Izzati, Z. T. (2025). Analisis wacana iklan shampo Head & Shoulders menggunakan teori analisis wacana kritis Van Dijk. Jurnal Penelitian Ilmiah Multidisipliner, 1(4), 806–815. https://ojs.ruangpublikasi.com/index.php/jpim/article/view/383

Rubing, G., & Sandaran, S. C. (2023). A critical discourse analysis of news discourse in The Times. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(1), 968–984. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i1/16241

Sari, E. D. P., Hamadi, H. H., Setiyadi, D. B. P., Kencana, N., & Effendi, D. E. (2025). Critical discourse analysis in digital media: Unveiling ideology and power in the technological era. Journal of the American Institute, 2(3), 371–379. https://doi.org/10.71364/es9z9c19

Sudaryanto. (2015). Metode dan aneka teknik analisis bahasa: Pengantar penelitian kebudayaan secara linguistis. APPTI.

Van Dijck, J., Poell, T., & de Waal, M. (2018). The platform society: Public values in a connective world. Oxford University Press.

Van Poucke, M. (2023). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and shaming on TikTok: A multimodal appraisal analysis. Multimodality & Society, 3(2), 97–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/26349795231153955

Wang, G., Liu, Y., & Tu, S. (2023). Discursive use of stability in New York Times coverage of China: A sentiment analysis approach. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10, Article 666. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02165-0

Yu, Y., Lu, G., Fung Sin, K., & Yu, Z. (2024). Media representations of China’s inclusive education: A corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis. PLOS ONE, 19(3), e0300123. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300123

Zheng, L. (2025). A cross-lingual analysis of attitudinal meaning in publicity discourses of Anglo-American and Chinese universities: A psychological insight from the appraisal system. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1635204. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1635204

Downloads

Published

23-06-2026

How to Cite

Maulida, D. E., Winday, M., Zein, T. T., & Nurlela. (2026). The Representation of Ideology in Nadiem Makarim Case by Tech in Asia: An Appraisal and Critical Discourse Analysis Approach. Seltics Journal: Scope of English Language Teaching Literature and Linguistics, 9(1), 123-134. https://doi.org/10.46918/seltics.v9i1.3440