Dulu Naya Nungging Lebih Barbar Susu Putri Nia Uting - Indo18 -

Title: Dulu Naya Nungging Lebih Barbar? Susu Putri Nia Uting – An Exploratory Study of Contemporary Indonesian Youth Culture and Identity Construction Conference: INDO‑18 (International Conference on Indonesian Studies 2018) Author(s): [Your Name], [Affiliation]; [Co‑author Name], [Affiliation] Abstract The phrase “Dulu Naya Nungging Lebih Barbar” —popularized on Indonesian social media in 2016—has become a meme‑like shorthand for nostalgic yet hyperbolic critiques of past youth behaviours. Coupled with the viral music video “Susu Putri Nia Uting,” the expression encapsulates a complex interplay of nostalgia, gendered performance, and digital cultural production among Indonesian Generation Z. This paper investigates how the meme functions as a discursive device that both reproduces and subverts traditional notions of “barbarism” and femininity. Drawing on netnographic analysis of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube data (n = 1,238 posts, 202 k interactions) and semi‑structured interviews with 32 self‑identified “Naya” fans (aged 18‑24), we explore (1) the symbolic meanings attached to naya (youth) and nungging (a colloquial term for “unrefined”); (2) the gendered framing of “Susu Putri Nia Uting” as a site of both objectification and empowerment; and (3) the broader sociopolitical implications for Indonesian youth identity formation in the digital age. Findings reveal that the meme operates as a liminal space where nostalgia, humor, and resistance intersect, thereby reshaping contemporary understandings of “barbarism” in the Indonesian cultural imagination.

meme culture, Indonesian youth, gender performance, netnography, nostalgia, digital identity 1. Introduction 1.1 Background Indonesia’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem has fostered a vibrant meme‑culture that serves as a primary vehicle for collective meaning‑making among Generation Z. One of the most pervasive memes in the period 2016‑2018 is the expression “Dulu Naya Nungging Lebih Barbar” (literally, “Back then the youth were more barbaric”). The phrase, often paired with the viral music video “Susu Putri Nia Uting,” circulates across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube comment sections, generating millions of views and a distinct set of performative practices (Rohmah, 2019). 1.2 Research Problem While scholars have examined Indonesian meme‑culture in terms of political satire (Sari, 2018) and language change (Wibowo, 2020), the specific nexus of nostalgia, gendered imagery, and “barbarism” within the Naya Nungging meme remains underexplored. This study asks: RQ1: How do Indonesian youths negotiate the concepts of naya (youth), nungging (unrefined/barbaric), and femininity through the Dulu Naya Nungging Lebih Barbar meme? RQ2: What sociocultural functions does the meme serve in constructing contemporary Indonesian youth identity? 1.3 Significance Understanding this meme’s discursive dynamics offers insight into broader processes of cultural negotiation in a post‑digital, post‑colonial Indonesia. It illuminates how humor and nostalgia are mobilized to critique, reproduce, or re‑imagine normative gender roles and generational stereotypes. 2. Literature Review | Theme | Key Findings | Gaps | |-------|--------------|------| | Meme Theory & Digital Folklore | Shifman (2014) defines memes as units of cultural transmission; Kuipers (2018) stresses the role of humor in identity work. | Limited focus on Indonesian context. | | Nostalgia in Youth Cultures | Boym (2001) differentiates restorative vs. reflective nostalgia; Lee (2017) links nostalgia to social media self‑presentation. | Sparse empirical work on Indonesian nostalgic memes. | | Gender & Performance in Online Spaces | Butler (1990) – gender performativity; Goffman (1959) – presentation of self. Indonesian studies (Halim, 2021) note the tension between traditional femininity and digital agency. | Need for intersectional analysis of meme‑mediated gender performance. | | Indonesian Youth & “Barbarism” Discourse | Suryani (2015) discusses “kebarat-barbar” dichotomy in post‑colonial discourse; Kurniawan (2019) shows how “barbar” is reclaimed as a marker of authenticity. | No systematic analysis of “barbar” within meme culture. | Title: Dulu Naya Nungging Lebih Barbar

Collectively, these bodies of work suggest that memes can serve as a “cultural laboratory” for negotiating contested meanings (Miller, 2016). However, no study to date has examined Dulu Naya Nungging Lebih Barbar as a site where nostalgia, gender, and “barbarism” intersect. 3.1 Research Design A mixed‑methods netnographic approach (Kozinets, 2015) was employed, combining quantitative content analysis of social‑media artifacts with qualitative interview data. 3.2 Data Collection | Source | Platform | Timeframe | Units Collected | |--------|----------|-----------|-----------------| | Meme Corpus | TikTok (hashtag #NayaNungging), Instagram (tag @nayanungging), YouTube (comment threads on “Susu Putri Nia Uting”) | 1 Jan 2016 – 31 Dec 2017 | 1,238 posts (videos, images, comments) | | Interviews | Semi‑structured, in‑person/Zoom | Mar – May 2018 | 32 participants (16 female, 16 male) | This paper investigates how the meme functions as