The Role of Social Media in Reconstructing Cultural Identity Among Marginalized Ethnic Groups
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51903/rdn71q37Keywords:
Social Media, Cultural Identity, Marginalized Communities, Algorithmic Negotiation, Digital RepresentationAbstract
This research investigates how social media reconstructs cultural identity for marginalized ethnic groups in Indonesia while paying attention to issues of visibility, cultural resistance, and algorithms. A qualitative approach was used to gather data from 18 participants from Eastern Indonesia’s indigenous communities and the Minangkabau diaspora through in-depth interviews, digital ethnography, and document analysis. Following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework, the analysis demonstrated three themes: digital visibility as a social recognition tool, cultural narratives as resistance, and algorithmic representation limits. The analysis reveals social media to be a significant area for sharing and contesting alternative narratives, especially alternative narratives that push back against the stereotypes imposed by mainstream media. However, social media algorithms, while alluring and innocent, minimize intricate cultures to simplistic symbols, revealing the seemingly irredeemable quality of being concurrently captivating and an exculpatory space, in a bad way. The research offers the concept of "algorithmic negotiation" as a theoretical contribution, emphasizing the degree to which the community could navigate the algorithmic systems of measures. Practically, the research suggests cultural policy makers and individuals in the technology industry to deliberately create constructs that challenge cultural hegemony. These findings contribute to the discourse on Indonesia while also situating it within a global context.
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