From Screen to Tongue: Food Vlogger Nex Carlos's Role in Popularizing Local Cuisine in the Digital Era
Keywords:
food vlogger, local culinary, YouTube, netnography, digital promotionAbstract
The digital era has encouraged people to utilize social media as a primary means of promoting and preserving culture, including introducing local cuisine. This study analyzes how food vlogger Nex Carlos popularizes Indonesian cuisine through content on his YouTube channel. Researchers employed a qualitative approach through netnography to observe Nex Carlos's culinary videos and audience interactions in the comments section to understand his communication strategies and their impact on the popularity of local cuisine. The results show that Nex Carlos builds emotional connection and audience trust through storytelling techniques, authentic expression, and collaborations with local figures. The positive response from netizens confirms that this content has successfully increased interest in exploring Indonesian cuisine, formed positive perceptions of traditional foods, and strengthened Indonesia's cultural identity in the digital space. The novelty of this study lies in analyzing the role of food vloggers as cultural actors, functioning not only as food reviewers but also as drivers of cultural diplomacy through social media. The findings of this study emphasize the active role of food vloggers as cultural agents supporting the promotion of culinary tourism through social media.
References
Aini, H. N., Achmad, Z. A., & Mudianto, C. D. P. (2025). Music Communication in Juicy Luicy’s Lyrics: Emotional Voices of Generation Z. JOSAR (Journal of Students Academic Research), 10(2), 47–61. https://doi.org/10.35457/JOSAR.V10I2.4528
Arviani, H., Achmad, Z. A., Santoso, N. R., & Norsely, F. (2025). AI dalam Digital Marketing di Indonesia: Sebuah Pengantar. PT. Nas Media Indonesia.
Audrezet, A., de Kerviler, G., & Guidry Moulard, J. (2020). Authenticity under threat: When social media influencers need to go beyond self-presentation. Journal of Business Research, 117, 557–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.008
Basli, M. Y., & Achmad, Z. A. (2024). Studi Etnografi Virtual Kritik Sosial dalam Konten Kanal Youtube Tekotok terkait Kenaikan Harga Bahan Bakar Minyak di Indonesia. Da’watuna: Journal of Communication and Islamic Broadcasting, 4(1), 466–478. https://doi.org/10.47467/DAWATUNA.V4I1.5216
Carlos, N. (2016). Nex Carlos. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@NexCarlos
Delliana, S., & Pratiwi, N. (2022). Pengaruh Konten Food Vlog di Akun Youtube Ria SW Terhadap Perilaku Konsumtif Subscriber. JURNAL KOMUNIKATIO, 8(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.30997/JK.V8I1.5558
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2013). The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative Research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials (pp. 24–68). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Dewa, C. B., & Safitri, L. A. (2021). Pemanfaatan Media Sosial Tiktok Sebagai Media Promosi Industri Kuliner Di Yogyakarta Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19 (Studi Kasus Akun TikTok Javafoodie). Khasanah Ilmu-Jurnal Pariwisata Dan Budaya, 12(1), 65–71.
Donneli, E. (2023). Pengaruh Food Vloggers pada Niat Beli di Media Sosial. MAMEN: Jurnal Manajemen, 2(2), 209–221. https://doi.org/10.55123/MAMEN.V2I2.1787
Fisher, W. R. (1984). The Narrative Paradigm: in the Beginning. Journal of Communication, 34(1), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1984.tb02986.x
Franzke, A. S., Bechmann, A., Zimmer, M., & Ess, C. M. (2020). Internet Research: Ethical Guidelines 3.0. https://aoir.org/reports/ethics3.pdf
Horton, D., & Wohl, R. R. (1956). Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049
Jenkins, H. (2006). Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers. New York University Press.
Kemp, S. (2024, March). Waktu Yang Kita Habiskan Di Media Sosial. Datareportal.
Kinanti, B. S., & Achmad, Z. A. (2025). Studi Netnografi Virtual pada Variasi Interaksi Akun X Anonim NCTzen. NUSANTARA : Jurnal Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial, 12(9), 3861–3868. https://doi.org/10.31604/jips.v12i9.2025
Kozinets, R. V. (2010). Netnography: Doing Ethnographic Research Online (1st ed.). Sage Publications Ltd.
Kozinets, R. V. (2020). Netnography: The Essential Guide to Qualitative Social Media Research. In SAGE Publication Ltd. (3rd ed., Vol. 11, Issue 1).
Mas’udah, K. W., Rosida, D. F., Achmad, Z. A., Anita, N. D., Muruah, I., & Aini, Z. A. N. (2022). Pendampingan Penggunaan Platform Digital untuk Meningkatkan Pemasaran Produk UMKM Desa Kebondalem. Jurnal Abdimas Patikala, 1(1), 428–436.
Maulana, W. T., & Achmad, Z. A. (2025). Studi Netnografi terhadap Budaya Madura di Akun Instagram @fuadsasmitaa. JIIP - Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 8(8), 9518–9526. https://doi.org/10.54371/JIIP.V8I8.9010
Niqotaini, Z., Gusti, K. W., Achmad, Z. A., Nisa, D. A., Irzavika, Ni., & Kholiq, A. (2024). Meningkatkan Promosi Kampung Wisata Kuliner RW 04 Haurpancuh II melalui Pemanfaatan Digital Marketing. MARTABE: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat, 7(6), 2011–2016. https://doi.org/10.31604/jpm.v7i6.2011-2016
Norsely, F., Arviani, H., & Achmad, Z. A. (2023). Pengalaman Interaksi Pengguna Remaja Curhat dengan ChatGPT. Komunikologi: Jurnal Pengembangan Ilmu Komunikasi Dan Sosial, 7(2), 120–135. https://doi.org/10.30829/KOMUNIKOLOGI.V7I2.16653
Rahman, M. S. A., Dewi, S. P., Ningtyas, L. S., Samosir, F. L., Herviani, A. E., & Achmad, Z. A. (2023). Kredibilitas Informasi di Era Post-Truth Dikalahkan Kecepatan Informasi: Pengabaian Undang Undang Informasi dan Transaksi Elektronik. Jejaring Administrasi Publik, 14(2), 151–173. https://doi.org/10.20473/jap.v14i2.46677
Rogers, E. M., Singhal, A., & Quinlan, M. (2019). Diffusion of innovations. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203710753-35
Straubhaar, J., LaRose, R., & Davenport, L. (2017). Media Now: Understanding Media, Culture, and Technology (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Suminar, D. R., Mulyadi, D., & Sungkono, S. (2024). Pengaruh Food Vlogger Terhadap Persepsi Konsumen dalam Pembelian Produk Me Gacoan pada Kalangan Remaja (Studi Kasus di Kabupaten Karawang). 2(9). https://jurnal.kolibi.org/index.php/neraca/article/view/2320
Syahputri, A., Arviani, H., Roziana, F., & Achmad, Z. A. (2023). Netnography Study of Mental Health Disorder Discussion in the K-Pop Music Video among YouTube Users. Metafora: Education, Social Sciences and Humanities Journal, 7(2), 15–29.
Tranggono, D., Musicasari, P., & Achmad, Z. A. (2021). Increased buying interest of millennial generation in Gresik regency during the COVID-19 pandemic through the @kulinergresik account. JARES (Journal of Academic Research and Sciences), 6(2), 11–25. https://ejournal.unisbablitar.ac.id/index.php/jares/article/view/1221
Utami, S. (2018). Kuliner Sebagai Identitas Budaya: Perspektif Komunikasi Lintas Budaya. CoverAge: Journal of Strategic Communication, 8(2), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.35814/coverage.v8i2.588
Vizcaíno-Verdú, A., De-Casas-Moreno, P., & Tirocchi, S. (2023). Online prosumer convergence : Listening , creating and sharing music on YouTube and TikTok.
Communication & Society, 36(1), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.36.1.151-166
Zhang, T., Chen, J., & Hu, B. (2019). Authenticity, quality, and loyalty: Local food and sustainable tourism experience. Sustainability (Switzerland), 11(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU10023437
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zainal Abidin Achmad, Luthfiah Adzra
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
