Keywords:
performative well-being
social constructionism
digital literacy
youth identity
influencer

  • Abstract

    The proliferation of social media in Indonesia has elevated the number of influential cultural actors, including for Generation Z (Gen Z), among young people. In digitally mediated environments, influencer-generated narratives increasingly function as symbolic benchmarks that redefine aspirational norms and social recognition. This study aimed to investigate how Indonesian Generation Z interprets lifestyle narratives constructed by social media influencers and how these interpretations inform their understanding of success and well-being. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews with 25 Generation Z participants who actively engaged with influencer content on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The data were analyzed via interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to capture participants’ lived experiences and interpretive processes. Four main themes emerged: (1) influencers as symbols of modern success, (2) content such as entertainment and inspiration, (3) ambivalence between reality and illusion, and (4) lifestyle as a new standard of well-being. Generation Z engages with influencer narratives reflexively rather than passively; however, critical awareness does not fully mitigate emotional effects such as social comparison and pressure to perform an idealized lifestyle. The findings expand the concept of performative well-being, which defines well-being as a socially acknowledged, visually mediated, platform-shaped state influenced by platform logic, symbolic capital, and audience validation. Moreover, these findings underscore the need for improved digital literacy, emotional resilience training, and ethical regulation of influencer conduct to mitigate psychological vulnerability among the youth generation. The strength of this study resides in its interpretive focus on the building of experience-based well-being, which broadens existing research beyond behavioral and consumption-oriented views. This research is limited by its qualitative design and specific cultural context, so future studies need to incorporate cross-cultural comparisons, digital ethnography, or longitudinal approaches

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Hidayat, T., & Astuti, R. P. F. (2026). Generation Z’s interpretation of influencer content in Indonesia: Exploring lifestyle narratives on social media. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 8(9), 2026598. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2026598
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