Enhancing Community Literacy Through Instagram @babasalmombasa in Luwuk District

Authors

  • Suanti Tunggala Department of Communication Science, Universitas Muhammadiyah Luwuk, Sulawesi Tengah, 94711, Indonesia
  • Julistry Langapa Department of Communication Science, Universitas Muhammadiyah Luwuk, Sulawesi Tengah, 94711, Indonesia
  • Falimu Lamusu Department of Communication Science, Universitas Muhammadiyah Luwuk, Sulawesi Tengah, 94711, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12928/commicast.v7i2.14140

Keywords:

Babasalmombasa, Instagram, Literacy improvement

Abstract

Low community participation in literacy activities, particularly among social media users, remains a challenge in promoting a sustainable reading culture. Instagram provides an opportunity to disseminate literacy content through interactive and accessible digital communication. This study aims to examine the contribution of the Instagram account @babasalmombasa to literacy development in Luwuk District, Banggai Regency. The study contributes to the literature by focusing on a specific local Instagram account within a semi-urban community and by integrating quantitative evidence with practical insights into social media-based literacy initiatives. Data were collected from 92 respondents selected from 1.154 followers using Slovin’s formula. Data collection involved observation, questionnaires, and documentation, followed by simple linear regression analysis. The results indicate that Instagram usage has a significant positive contribution to literacy development, with an Adjusted R² of 0.410, indicating that 41.0% of the variation in literacy development can be explained by engagement with the @babasalmombasa account. These findings support the Uses and Gratifications perspective by demonstrating the potential of social media to integrate digital communication with community literacy activities. Practically, the findings suggest that strategically designed Instagram content can strengthen community engagement and support local literacy initiatives. The study concludes that Instagram can serve as an effective complementary medium for promoting literacy development in semi-urban communities.

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Published

2026-09-14

How to Cite

Tunggala, S., Langapa, J., & Lamusu, F. (2026). Enhancing Community Literacy Through Instagram @babasalmombasa in Luwuk District. COMMICAST, 7(2), 276–288. https://doi.org/10.12928/commicast.v7i2.14140

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026): September

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Copyright (c) 2026 Suanti Tunggala, Julistry Langapa, Falimu Lamusu

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