Flexing Sebagai Representasi Status Sosial di Era Digital: Studi Kualitatif pada Masyarakat Urban Pengguna Media Sosial

Adinata Ramadhan Saparianto Prayoga, Asroful Kadafi, Suharni Suharni

Abstract


Perkembangan media sosial telah mengubah cara individu membangun identitas dan merepresentasikan status sosial di ruang digital. Salah satu fenomena yang berkembang adalah flexing, yaitu perilaku menampilkan pencapaian, kepemilikan barang, gaya hidup, maupun aktivitas tertentu melalui media sosial sebagai bentuk representasi diri. Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan bentuk-bentuk flexing, faktor-faktor yang melatarbelakanginya, serta makna flexing sebagai representasi status sosial pada masyarakat urban pengguna media sosial di Dusun Petung, Kecamatan Saradan. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan jenis fenomenologi deskriptif. Data diperoleh melalui observasi non-partisipatif terhadap unggahan media sosial dan dokumentasi digital yang dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Analisis data menggunakan model interaktif Miles, Huberman, dan Saldaña yang meliputi kondensasi data, penyajian data, serta penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa praktik flexing direpresentasikan melalui unggahan mengenai kepemilikan barang, gaya hidup, aktivitas usaha, dan pencapaian pribadi sebagai simbol status sosial. Praktik tersebut dipengaruhi oleh kebutuhan memperoleh pengakuan sosial, pembentukan identitas digital, serta budaya konsumsi simbolik. Penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa media sosial telah menjadi ruang representasi sosial yang memungkinkan individu membangun citra diri sekaligus memperoleh legitimasi sosial melalui simbol-simbol digital.


Abstract: The development of social media has transformed the way individuals construct their identities and represent their social status in digital spaces. One emerging phenomenon is flexing, which refers to the practice of displaying achievements, material possessions, lifestyles, or certain activities on social media as a form of self-representation. This study aims to describe the forms of flexing, the factors underlying the phenomenon, and the meaning of flexing as a representation of social status among urban social media users in Dusun Petung, Saradan District. This research employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive phenomenological design. Data were collected through non-participant observation of social media posts and digital documentation selected using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña, which consists of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that flexing is represented through posts displaying ownership of goods, lifestyle, business activities, and personal achievements as symbols of social status. These practices are influenced by the need for social recognition, the construction of digital identity, and the culture of symbolic consumption. This study concludes that social media has become a space for social representation, enabling individuals to construct self-image while gaining social legitimacy through digital symbols


Keywords


Flexing, social status representation, social media, phenomenology, urban society

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References


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