Negosiasi Keintiman Dalam Arsitektur Digital Whatsapp: Studi Kualitatif Dampak Fitur Notifikasi Real-Time Terhadap Kualitas Hubungan Interpersonal Di Kecamatan Kertosari, Ponorogo

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the influence of WhatsApp’s digital architecture on the dynamics of interpersonal relationships in Kertosari District, Ponorogo Regency. The widespread use of WhatsApp in Indonesia, with more than 112 million users, positions its features—such as online status, last seen, and read receipts (blue checkmarks)—not only as communication facilitators but also as triggers of psychosocial tension in the form of digital anxiety or technostress. This research employed a qualitative phenomenological approach involving ten respondents selected through purposive sampling to explore their subjective experiences in interacting through the WhatsApp platform. The findings reveal three main themes. First, digital presence features are perceived as a form of surveillance that encourages excessive transparency and contributes to the erosion of individual privacy. Second, high system synchronicity generates a moral burden, as messages that are read but not immediately replied to are often interpreted as social neglect. Third, respondents demonstrate user agency by negotiating intimacy both technically, through privacy feature adjustments, and socially, through verbal agreements with partners or related parties. The study concludes that although digital architecture shapes and regulates the rhythm of social interactions, local communities retain the capacity to culturally adapt, mitigate technological pressures, and preserve the quality of interpersonal relationships.