Representasi yang Represif: Peran Instagram dalam Pembentukan Hegemoni Maskulinitas Digital

Abstract

Social media platforms like Instagram today serve as a stage for showcasing various social representations intended for the wider public. Instagram, known as a communication medium, surprisingly plays a crucial role in shaping, reinforcing, and consolidating the practices of masculine hegemony within the digital space. Ideally, as a medium, Instagram should not only perpetuate dominant masculine standards but also accommodate the diversity of male identities without creating social pressures. Dominant masculine standards are filled by those men deemed to have met existing masculine criteria, while a subordinate position is assigned to those who are socially labeled as not meeting these standards. Consequently, this phenomenon leads to the repression of some men due to efforts to meet these established standards. This research employs the theory of hegemonic masculinity proposed by the Australian sociologist Raewyn Connell. Hegemonic masculinity explains that there is a specific dominant masculinity in men's lives, ultimately creating a subordinate position for some men. This study utilizes a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach. The research aims to elucidate how Instagram, through various elements such as visual content, narratives, and interaction dynamics, facilitates the construction and perpetuation of masculine dominance in the digital space. The results of the study indicate that Instagram plays a significant role as a medium in shaping masculine hegemony. Today, the representations of masculinity presented on Instagram become repressive for some male individuals.