YouTube as a new culture in Indonesia: The construction of gender role in the lens of the circuit of culture

Abstract

This study explores the construction of gender roles performed in The Irvandi's YouTube channel. By deploying cultural studies approach and working within the framework of the circuit of culture by Stuart Hall, this study aims to show how gender role is regulated, produced, consumed, and represented, which then constructs Indonesian women's identity. The result shows that the gender role is regulated through religion by which Islamic teachings are applied in her daily life and the social construction rooted within the patriarchal ideology. Next, the video's content is produced as the content creator accepts the gender roles tightly related to the regulation. Further, the video is consumed by its viewer where power, ideology, gender, and social class have shaped each other. Within its consumption, the video reveals the gender stereotyping and brings the effect of empowering women. As an interrelated element, the circuit of culture represents Indonesian women as ideal Muslim women (shaleha). The identity of women in the video is constructed through representation. She constructs her identity as a religious woman and shaleha. Besides, showing viewers where she usually buys home furnishing products indicates that she shows her middle social class. In conclusion, YouTube has become a new culture in Indonesia and has created an Islamic cultural industry as the content is presenting a series of images, practices, and religious values which is marketed especially to Muslim women. Then, this kind of YouTube video is re-strengthening and re-emphasizing the role of women in the family. The differentiation of roles between men and women is reconstructed and reproduced within this online video sharing platform.