CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY AND ACADEMIC PROCRASTINATION BEHAVIOR: A CULTIVATION THEORY ANALYSIS OF CHINESE DRAMA ADDICTION AMONG FINAL YEAR ISLAMIC COMMUNICATION AND BROADCASTING STUDENTS AT UNIKHAMS

Abstract

The rapid advancement of information and communication technology has significantly increased digital media consumption, including Chinese dramas, among university students. Easy access through various streaming platforms has fostered the phenomenon of binge-watching, which has the potential to influence students' academic behavior, particularly their tendency toward procrastination in completing their final thesis. This study aims to analyze Chinese drama addiction and academic procrastination through the perspective of Cultivation Theory among final-year students of the Islamic Communication and Broadcasting (KPI) Study Program at KH. Achmad Muzakki Syah Islamic University (UNIKHAMS). This research employed a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences and interpretations of 13 participants regarding their Chinese drama consumption during the thesis-writing process. Data were collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The data were analyzed using the interactive model developed by Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, comprising data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification, with data trustworthiness ensured through source and methodological triangulation. The findings identified six major themes: Chinese dramas as a mechanism of academic escapism, distorted time perception resulting from binge-watching, the construction of reality through media cultivation, parasocial emotional attachment, impaired self-regulation and learning concentration, and the influence of the digital social environment on academic procrastination. The findings indicate that intensive exposure to Chinese dramas functions not only as a source of entertainment but also as a factor shaping students' perceptions, mindsets, and time-management habits in responding to academic demands. This study extends the application of Cultivation Theory to the context of contemporary digital media and offers practical implications for higher education institutions in developing media literacy programs, strengthening students' self-regulation, and designing strategies to reduce academic procrastination among final-year students.