Intercultural Communication in Improving the Competence of International Students on Instagram
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35719/fenomena.v24i1.229Intercultural communication disseminated through Instagram extends beyond mere visual content; it embodies culturally rich symbols that convey deep meanings. Despite its significance, this phenomenon has received limited scholarly attention. This study seeks to address this gap by examining intercultural communication practices on Instagram, with a specific focus on language, culinary traditions, and performing arts content. Adopting a qualitative descriptive approach, the research explores how cultural elements are shared and represented through social media. The findings identify three primary contexts: (1) the use of native languages by speakers to introduce linguistic and cultural diversity; (2) the dissemination of traditional culinary content as a means of reinforcing cultural identity; and (3) the learning and sharing of traditional dance via Instagram as a strategy for preserving cultural heritage. These insights highlight Instagram’s role as an active, dynamic, and educational space for intercultural communication.
Komunikasi antarbudaya yang tersebar melalui media sosial Instagram tidak hanya terbatas pada visualisasi konten, tetapi juga merepresentasikan simbol-simbol budaya yang sarat makna. Fenomena ini masih kurang mendapat perhatian dalam kajian ilmiah. Studi ini bertujuan mengisi kekosongan tersebut dengan menganalisis praktik komunikasi antarbudaya dalam Instagram yang berfokus pada konten bahasa, kuliner, dan seni pertunjukan. Studi ini menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif kualitatif, dengan mengeksplorasi elemen-elemen budaya didiseminasikan melalui media sosial Instagram. Hasil penelitian mengidentifikasi tiga konteks utama: (1) penggunaan bahasa asli oleh penutur asli untuk memperkenalkan keragaman linguistik dan budaya; (2) penyebaran konten kuliner tradisional sebagai media penguatan identitas budaya; dan (3) pembelajaran tarian tradisional melalui Instagram sebagai strategi pelestarian warisan budaya. Temuan ini menegaskan bahwa Instagram berfungsi sebagai ruang aktif untuk komunikasi antarbudaya yang dinamis dan edukatif.
Downloads
References
Airlangga PH, A. R., Saputri, W. A., & Nurhakim, P. R. (2024). Socio-religious behavior on consumption pattern during Israel and Palestine conflict in Muslim society. IAS Journal of Localities, 1(2), 138–152. https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v1i2.22
Akhmadieva, R. S., Guryanova, T. Y., Kurakin, A. V., Makarov, A. L., Skorobogatova, A. I., & Krapivina, V. V. (2019). Student Attitude to Intercultural Communication and Intercultural Interaction in Social Networks. Contemporary Educational Technology, 11(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.30935/cet.641762
Asriati, A., Kosasih, A., & Desfiarni, D. (2019). Silat as the Source and Identity of the Minangkabau Ethnic Dance. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education, 19(1), 71–83. https://doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v19i1.16106
Asteria, P. V., Rofiuddin, A., Suyitno, I., & Susanto, G. (2023). Indonesian-based Pluricultural Competence in BIPA Teachers’ Perspective. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 9(1), 190–201. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.901016
Baiti, A. N., Dwi Hermawan, H., & Saputri, A. (2021). Development of Learning Media to Introduce Traditional Musical Instruments using Augmented Reality on Instagram. 2021 International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering (IC2SE), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1109/IC2SE52832.2021.9791894
Bardhan, N. R. (2019). Practicing Public Relations Across Cultures. In Public Relations (pp. 43–57). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315148106-4
Báti, A. (2024). Traditional Food as Cultural Heritage in Hungary. Acta Ethnographica Hungarica, 68(2), 481–498. https://doi.org/10.1556/022.2024.00005
Bernadette, S., Septiana, R., & Kusumawardhana, I. (2022). Music Matters: Diplomasi Budaya Indonesia terhadap Negara di Kawasan Pasifik Melalui ‘the Symphony of Friendship’ di Selandia Baru. Indonesian Perspective, 7(2), 205–227. https://doi.org/10.14710/ip.v7i2.50779
Biletska, O., Lastovskyi, V., & Semchynskyy, K. (2021). Intercultural communication competence. Linguistics and Culture Review, 5(S4), 1664–1675. https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v5nS4.1874
Braslauskas, J. (2023). Intercultural Stereotypes and The Role of Critical and Creative Thinking in Overcoming Them. Creativity Studies, 16(1), 255–273. https://doi.org/10.3846/cs.2023.17187
Carah, N., & Shaul, M. (2016). Brands and Instagram: Point, tap, swipe, glance. Mobile Media & Communication, 4(1), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157915598180
Elsera, M., Wisadirana, D., Maksum, A., Fatma Chawa, A., Kanto, S., Rozuli, A. I., Nurhadi, I., Casiavera, C., & Ariando, W. (2024). Religious and Maritime Cultural Integration of the Suku Laut in Riau Islands, Indonesia. BIO Web of Conferences, 134, 07004. https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202413407004
Fauzi, E. P., & Prasetyo, K. (2023). Pemaknaan Apropriasi Budaya Pada Video Make A Wish. Jurnal Komunikasi Global, 12(1), 98–121. https://doi.org/10.24815/jkg.v12i1.28489
Feldman, Z. (2021). ‘Good food’ in an Instagram age: Rethinking hierarchies of culture, criticism and taste. European Journal of Cultural Studies, 24(6), 1340–1359. https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494211055733
Fernando, H., Larasati, Y. G., Abdullah, I., Florika, V. T., & Liyana, C. I. (2025). The Deconstruction of Women ’ s Values in # MeToo on Instagram. Italian Sociologial Review, 15(January), 27–46. https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v15i1.821
Fernando, H., Larasati, Y. G., & Cahyani, N. (2023). Being #wanitasalihah: Representations of salihah women on TikTok. IAS Journal of Localities, 1(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v1i1.8
Fernando, H., Larasati, Y. G., & Latif, S. A. (2022). Diseminasi simbolik: Makna korupsi dalam media sosial Instagram. Bricolage : Jurnal Magister Ilmu Komunikasi, 8(1), 63–79. https://doi.org/10.30813/bricolage.v8i1.3052
Ganglbauer, E., Fitzpatrick, G., Subasi, Ö., & Güldenpfennig, F. (2014). Think globally, act locally: A case study of a free food sharing community and social networking. Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing, 911–921. https://doi.org/10.1145/2531602.2531664
Guo, Q. (2019). Competency in Globalization and Intercultural Communication. In The Wiley Handbook of Global Workplace Learning (pp. 277–299). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119227793.ch16
Hakim, U., Dilfa, A. H., Trinanda, R., & Hidayat, H. A. (2024). Integrasi Platform Media Sosial Instagram dalam Pertunjukan dan Pembelajaran Musik Gamad di Sendratasik FBS UNP. Resital: Jurnal Seni Pertunjukan, 25(2), 338–356. https://doi.org/10.24821/resital.v25i2.13783
Hanifah, M. F., & Rosdiana, H. (2024). Gastrodiplomasi Korea Selatan di Indonesia melalui Ekspor Produk Makanan Korea Selatan Periode 2020-2022. Gemawisata: Jurnal Ilmiah Pariwisata, 21(1), 242–255. https://doi.org/10.56910/gemawisata.v21i1.461
Hernandez-Barraza, L., Yeow, C.-H., & Varela, M. E. (2019). The Biomechanics of Character Types in Javanese Dance. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 23(3), 104–111. https://doi.org/10.12678/1089-313X.23.3.104
Hungerford, H., Subulwa, A. G., & Chakravarty, D. (2023). The Insta-Gaze: investigating the endurance of stereotypes of Africa. Social & Cultural Geography, 24(10), 1883–1902. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2022.2113984
Hurley, Z. (2019). Imagined Affordances of Instagram and the Fantastical Authenticity of Female Gulf-Arab Social Media Influencers. Social Media + Society, 5(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118819241
Ikhsano, A., Stellarosa, Y., & Ramonita, L. (2024). Digital Communication in Music Industry: An Analysis of Instagram Management in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 40(4), 521–538. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2024-4004-29
Indra Fibiona, I., Ariwibowo, G., Sumarno, S., Mumfangati, T., Nurwanti, Y., & Dwinanto, A. (2024). Heritage in Motion: Safeguarding the Cultural Legacy of Wayang Kulit Kedu, Indonesia. Trames. Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 28(2), 189–208. https://doi.org/10.3176/tr.2024.2.06
Jin, S. (2023). Unleashing the Potential of Social Media: Enhancing Intercultural Communication Skills in the Hospitality and Tourism Context. Sustainability, 15(14), 10840. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410840
King, J., & Fretwell, L. (2022). Asian American Influencer Cultural Identity Portrayal on Instagram. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990221077352
Larasati, Y. G., & Fernando, H. (2023). Objektifikasi Tubuh Dalam Iklan Rekrutmen Kerja di Instagram: Questioning Women Empowerment. Masyarakat Madani: Jurnal Kajian Islam Dan Pengembangan Masyarakat, 8(2), 85–106.
Lewis, T. (2018). Digital Connectivity. In M. Juergensmeyer, S. Sassen, M. B. Steger, & V. Faessel (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Global Studies (pp. 560–578). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190630577.013.41
Mahmoud, O. N. (2024). The relationship between society and language acquisition: influence and interaction, a comparative study between linguistics, sociology, and philosophy. Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology, 8(6), 7469–7482. https://doi.org/10.55214/25768484.v8i6.3625
Maulana, F. I., Zamahsari, G. K., & Purnomo, A. (2020). Web Design for Distance Learning Indonesian Language BIPA. 2020 International Conference on Information Management and Technology (ICIMTech), 988–991. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIMTech50083.2020.9211175
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (J. Saldana (ed.); 3rd ed.). SAGE Publication.
Mukhametgaliyeva, S., Gura, A., Dudnik, O., & Khudarova, A. (2022). The Use of Social Networks in E-Learning Technologies in the Context of Distance Education. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148949
Munjiah, M. (2023). Demoralization narrative: Foul language of community figures. IAS Journal of Localities, 1(1), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v1i1.12
Nakayama, T. K. (2020). Critical Intercultural Communication and the Digital Environment. In The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Communication (pp. 85–95). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108555067.008
Nazula, D., Anggraeni, D. D. A., & Nafiah, A. Z. (2024). Strategic Leadership in Developing a Culture of Literacy: A Case Study at SDIT Qurrota A’yun Ponorogo. IAS Journal of Localities, 2(1), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v2i1.46
Nofrizal, D., Sari, L. P., Purba, P. H., Utaminingsih, E. S., Nata, A. D., Winata, D. C., Syaleh, M., Al Munawar, A., Kurniawan, E., Permana, R., Yunitaningrum, W., Meilina, F., & Lisman, N. J. (2024). The role of traditional sports in maintaining and preserving regional culture facing the era of society 5.0. Retos, 60, 352–361. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v60.108181
Oudatzi, K. (2019). The Crucial Role of the Museums in Allying Alternative Forms of Diplomacy. 7th International Conference on Strategic Innovative Marketing and Tourism, ICSIMAT 2018, 109–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12453-3_13
Pang, H., Ke, W., & Zhang, W. (2024). Deciphering dynamic interactions among multidimensional psychological motivations, academic performance, and sociocultural adjustment: The critical influence of excessive WeChat use. Heliyon, 10(11), e32329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32329
Paternotte, E., van Dulmen, S., Bank, L., Seeleman, C., Scherpbier, A., & Scheele, F. (2017). Intercultural communication through the eyes of patients: experiences and preferences. International Journal of Medical Education, 8, 170–175. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.591b.19f9
Piancazzo, F., Noris, A., Sabatini, N., & Cantoni, L. (2024). Italy, an Extraordinary Commonplace? Stereotypes and Imaginaries of Italianness in Online Communication by Fashion Brands*. Fashion Theory, 28(5–6), 755–787. https://doi.org/10.1080/1362704X.2024.2379996
Pradhana, R. I., Gunawan, A. P., & Wicaksana, I. H. B. (2019). Photography as visual documentation of Topeng Losari dance culture of Sanggar Purwa Kencana. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1175, 012252. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1175/1/012252
Prajarto, Y. A. N., & Purwaningtyas, M. P. F. (2021). My personal showroom: Indonesian youths’ identity and space construction in Instagram. SEARCH Journal of Media and Communication Research, Special issue, 35–47.
Putri, E. (2016). Foto Diri, Representasi Identitas dan Masyarakat Tontonan Di Media Sosial Instagram. Jurnal Pemikiran Sosiologi, 3(1), 80. https://doi.org/10.22146/jps.v3i1.23528
Rahapsari, S. (2022). The quest of finding the self in the Bedhaya: Unravelling the psychological significance of the Javanese sacred dance. Culture & Psychology, 28(3), 413–432. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X211047441
Rizkika, C. (2021). Parahiyanti, Prasasti. A.: Comparative Study of Post-Marriage Nationality of Women in Legal Systems of Different Countries International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding Engage Your Customers during The Pandemic: The Impact of Social Media-Instagram Usa. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85189529892&partnerID=40&md5=28a1f9eb62c50433a32f39fd2ef9054e
Roy, G. (2020). Authenticity v/s Glocalization as Represented in the Digital Platforms: A Study on the Food Culture with Special Reference to Tripura. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 12(5). https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v12n5.rioc1s17n7
Sari, Y. A., Utaminingrum, F., Adinugroho, S., Dewi, R. K., Adikara, P. P., Wihandika, R. C., Mutrofin, S., & Izzah, A. (2019). Indonesian Traditional Food Image Identification using Random Forest Classifier based on Color and Texture Features. 2019 International Conference on Sustainable Information Engineering and Technology (SIET), 206–211. https://doi.org/10.1109/SIET48054.2019.8986058
Sarwari, A. Q., & Abdul Wahab, M. N. (2017). Study of the relationship between intercultural sensitivity and intercultural communication competence among international postgraduate students: A case study at University Malaysia Pahang. Cogent Social Sciences, 3(1), 1310479. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2017.1310479
Schram, F. (2025). Moin Moin is schon Gesabbel : constructing Northern German identity in commercial Instagram posts. Multimodal Communication, 14(1), 103–117. https://doi.org/10.1515/mc-2024-0099
Setiarto, R. H. B., & Herlina, V. T. (2024). Ketupat: a culinary heritage of Indonesia in Eid Al-Fitr tradition. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 11(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-024-00259-x
Soydaş, A. U. (2024). Intercultural communication. In Elgar Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural Management (pp. 89–92). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803928180.ch20
Steinfatt, T. M., & Millette, D. M. (2019). Intercultural Communication. In An Integrated Approach to Communication Theory and Research (pp. 307–320). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203710753-26
Suyitno, I., Susanto, G., Kamal, M., & Fawzi, A. (2019). The cultural and academic background of BIPA learners for developing Indonesian learning materials. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 27(T2), 173–186.
Tiawati, R. L., Bidin, A. Bin, & Baba, S. (2023). How the Language Competence of International Students is Culturally Oriented When Learning Indonesian Language. Studies in Media and Communication, 11(6), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v11i6.6020
Tombleson, B., & Wolf, K. (2017). Rethinking the circuit of culture: How participatory culture has transformed cross-cultural communication. Public Relations Review, 43(1), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2016.10.017
Usman, A. R., Sulaiman, A., Fauzan, A., Zulyadi, T., Salahuddin, A., Putri, N., Jannah, M., & Misra, L. (2024). Religious Moderation Through Persia-Aceh Intercultural Communication. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura, 24(2), 471–487. https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v24i2.17443
Waechter, N. (2021). “Glocalized” Digital Youth Cultures. In Youth Cultures in a Globalized World (pp. 227–243). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65177-0_14
Wang, A.-L. (2018). Issues of Cross-Cultural Communications in a Globalizing Era. In Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Technology-Enhanced Language Learning (pp. 100–116). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5463-9.ch006
Widari, T., Aliffiati, Rahman, L. R., & Indra, M. (2024). Anti-Mainstream Culinary: The Influence of Post-Modernism on Gastronomy in Indonesian Restaurants. IAS Journal of Localities, 2(1), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.62033/iasjol.v2i1.36
Wijaya, S. (2019). Indonesian food culture mapping: a starter contribution to promote Indonesian culinary tourism. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 6(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-019-0009-3
Wilhelm, J. E. (2016). Translation as Intercultural Communication. In Clashing Wor(l)ds: From International to Intrapersonal Conflict (pp. 25–35). BRILL. https://doi.org/10.1163/9781848883642_004
Downloads
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Julia Magdalena Wuysang, Ira Patriani, Henky Fernando, Yuniar Galuh Larasati, Julkarnaen, Leanne Morin

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.