From Urban Pavements to Digital Platforms: Social Media, Running Communities, and the Construction of Urban Lifestyle Identities in Makassar

Silatul Rahmi; Jumadi; A. Octamaya Tenriawaru; Idham Irwansyah Idrus; Najamuddin; Arlin Adam

doi:10.29284/bn8vsw53

Authors

Silatul Rahmi Department of Physical Education, Health, and Recreation, Faculty of Sports Science and Health, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar 90222, Indonesia.
Jumadi Department of History Education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar 90222, Indonesia. ORCID: 0000-0003-0958-8472
A. Octamaya Tenriawaru Department of Sociology Education, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar 90222, Indonesia. ORCID: 0000-0003-2199-3147
Idham Irwansyah Idrus Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar 90222, Indonesia. ORCID: 0000-0002-7844-1522
Najamuddin Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar 90222, Indonesia. ORCID: 0009-0001-8606-9310
Arlin Adam Doctoral Program in Public Health, Faculty of Health, Universitas Mega Buana, Palopo, South Sulawesi 91911, Indonesia. ORCID: 0000-0001-8368-0563

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29284/bn8vsw53

Keywords:

social media; digitalization; social identity; public space; running; urban lifestyle.

Abstract

Urban running activities in Makassar, particularly those organized by the IndoRunners community, have developed beyond physical exercise into digitally mediated social practices that shape and communicate urban lifestyle identities. This study examines how physical public spaces and social media platforms function as interconnected social arenas in constructing the collective identity of urban running communities. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and participant observation of IndoRunners’ activities in both public urban spaces and digital platforms. The analysis was informed by Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective and Guy Debord’s concept of the spectacle to capture the performative and representational dimensions of running practices across offline and online contexts. The findings indicate that public spaces such as pedestrian corridors and city parks, together with social media platforms, operate as complementary stages where the community performs and negotiates its identity as healthy, active, and socially cohesive. Digital representations of running activities enhance public visibility, reinforce group solidarity, and contribute to the continuous reproduction of urban lifestyle identities through curated visual and narrative content. These results highlight the central role of social media and digitalization in transforming embodied sporting practices into visible and symbolic expressions of contemporary urban life.

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