The Meaning of Symbolic Interaction in the Towing Process

Abstract

The current study discusses the Meaning of Symbolic Interaction in the Towing Process among the Towing Officers from the Office of Transportation for Dealing with the Illegal Parking-Committing Four-Wheeled Vehicle Driver Communities. The objective of the study is to uncover, describe, and explain the meaning of symbolic interaction in the towing process by the Towing Officers from the Office of Transportation West Jakarta when they deal with the illegal parking committing four-wheeled vehicle driver communities on 2020. At the same time, the objective of the study is also to uncover the obstacles that the Towing Officers from the Office of Transportation West Jakarta should deal with when they have to ticket the illegal parking committing four-wheeled vehicle driver communities in 2020. Theoretically, symbolic interaction refers to the social life which basically deals with the interaction between the human beings and the use of the symbols. Therefore, symbols are not formed by mental force but, instead, symbols appear due to the manings that the human beings have assigned. Thus, the specific focus of the study is to uncover how the Office of Transportation West Jakarta has made use of the symbols that represent the information within the towing process. In conducting the study, the theory of Symbolic Interaction developed by Herbert Blummer was adopted in order to analyse the meaning of symbolic interaction in the towing process among the Towing Officers from the Office of Transportation West Jakarta in dealing with the Illegal Parking Committing Four-Wheeled Vehicle Driver Communities. In relation to the statement, the method that had been adopted was the case study. The data for the study were gathered by means of three techniques namely: (1) observation; (2) in-depth interview; and (3) documentation. For guaranteeing the data validity, the source triangulation was adopted. Then, the results of the study show that the towing process by the Office of Transportation West Jakarta contains the symbols that have been represented to the communities. However, there are still arguments between the communities and the Towing Officers when the symbols are displayed during the transfer of the vehicles.