CONTEXTUALIZATION OF TRADITIONAL MARKET TRADERS TO DEFEND THEIR GENUINE SOCIAL RELATIONS AND NETWORKED INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

• Main Author: Saudah
• Format: Article PeerReviewed
• Published: Universitas Darussalam Gontor Ponorogo 2018
• Subjects: HM621-656 Culture; P87-96 Communication. Mass media
• Online Access: http://repository.unair.ac.id/81394/; https://ejournal.unida.gontor.ac.id/index.php/ettisal/article/view/1931
• Institution: Universitas Airlangga

The speedy development as well as the widespread construction of modern supermarket all over the country has threatened the existence of traditional and its sustainability. To survive this stiff competition, traditional market traders therefore have to fight and work hard through the quality commodity provision and excellent customer service implementation. Their harmonious social relationship and strong cultural norms are of significant factor which enable them to compete with their modern supermarket counterparts. Thus traditional market is not a more economic transaction site between sellers and buyers. It is also a multifaceted social cultural livelihood in which relationship, values, norms and networked interpersonal communication are developed and maintained which eventually drive them to stay alive. Viewed from social exchange perspective, what they act, negotiate and transact commodities within the traditional market complex should be in accordance with their agreed- upon values and norms. The paper which employs ethnomethodology subjectivist approach tries to elucidate multifarious relationship and networked i nterpersonal communication among traditional market traders. The research which use in-depth interview of eight informant, participant observation and documentation to collect the data found that the relationship and networked interpersonal communication a mong the traders have materialized by means of an intensive interaction of information exchange during which verbal and nonverbal symbols are utilized to attain the desired goals. The social relationships are developed and maintained collectively in order to sustain traditional market function as place of information dissemination, internal interaction cultivation and commodity distribution network advancement. The theoretical implications of this finding illustrates the importance of pseudo transaction dur ing social exchange process which necessitates the employment such principles as regularity, adequacy, security and convenience.