<![CDATA[Background: Digital communication has transformed hospital-public relationships. Instagram serves not only as a promotional medium but also as a community empowerment platform through health education and two-way communication. Objective: This study aimed to explore the role of Instagram as a community empowerment platform in the process of forming emotional engagement, trust, and hospital image at Assalam Hospital. Methods: This qualitative study used an embedded single-case study design at Assalam Hospital, Indonesia, from April to June 2026. Preliminary non-participant observation of publicly available Instagram content was conducted from February to April 2026. Nineteen participants were selected through purposive sampling: hospital management, PKRS, IT, patients/families, and community health cadres. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), non-participant observation, and document review, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Results: Cross-source thematic analysis generated six themes: collaborative governance; educational empowerment; meaningful emotional engagement; trust through digital-reality consistency; multidimensional hospital image; and a "Deep but Narrow" pattern. Trust was strengthened by provider credibility, transparency, responsiveness, and consistency between digital information and real services. However, limited human resources, varying digital literacy, misinformation, passive audiences, and low interaction constrained Instagram's broader contribution. Conclusion: Instagram at Assalam Hospital is perceived to support community empowerment, emotional engagement, trust, and hospital image through interactive, context-dependent processes, rather than as a direct causal determinant. Stakeholders shape this digital space according to their distinct roles. For participants already exposed to the hospital's Instagram account, its contribution appears more evident in deepening relationships with specific user groups than in reaching the wider community, reflecting a "Deep but Narrow" pattern.]]>
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