Palakka : Media and Islamic Coummunication
Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): Media and Islamic Communication (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, United Kingd

From Sacred to Shared: A Quantitative Study of Wedding Hashtag Use and the Transformation of Marriage Meaning

Syahrul Hidayanto (Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya, Indonesia)
Wa Ode Sitti Nurhaliza (Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya, Indonesia)
Wichitra Yasya (Universitas Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya, Indonesia)
Dinah Hernandez (University of Mindanao, Philippines)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Jun 2026

Abstract

The rise of social media has transformed how individuals represent significant life moments, including marriage. One emerging practice in the digital era is the use of personalized wedding hashtags, which serve not only as tools for digital archiving but also as symbols of identity, image, and social engagement. This transformation reflects a cultural shift in which marriage has evolved from a sacred and private ritual into a public and performative event shared in digital spaces. This study examines the relationship between the intensity of wedding hashtag usage and the shifting meaning of marriage in the social media era among married social media users in Indonesia. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected through an online survey involving 422 respondents who had experience using personalized wedding hashtags. The Pearson correlation test revealed a strong and significant relationship between the two variables (r = 0.656, p < 0.001), with a determination coefficient of 43.1%. These findings indicate that nearly half of the variance in the shifting meaning of marriage can be explained by hashtag usage intensity. Within the framework of Media System Dependency Theory (MSDT), the study concludes that individuals who depend on social media for orientation and social validation are more likely to reinterpret institutional values such as marriage.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

palakka

Publisher

Subject

Religion Arts Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

Palakka: Media and Islamic Communication is published twice a year, June and December by the Communication and Islamic Broadcast Study Program at the Bone State Islamic Institute. This journal is a publication of scientific papers for academics and practitioners. This journal publishes articles from ...