Stuart Hall’s Reception Analysis of Complementary Feeding Education on Instagram @drtanshotyen

Abstract

Instagram has become an important space for mothers to obtain parenting and child health information, including complementary feeding education. This study analyzes mothers’ reception of complementary feeding messages on the Instagram account @drtanshotyen using Stuart Hall’s reception theory. A descriptive qualitative approach within a constructivist paradigm was employed. Data were collected through observation of nine Instagram contents from @drtanshotyen and in-depth interviews with eight mothers who had children aged 6-24 months, actively used Instagram, and had accessed complementary feeding content from the account. The findings show that three informants were in the dominant-hegemonic position because they strongly accepted the core messages about real food, limiting ultra-processed food (UPF), and evaluating feeding refusal. Five informants were in the negotiated position because they accepted dr. Tan’s educational principles but adjusted them to work demands, time constraints, children’s responses, costs, family support, and pediatricians’ advice. No informant occupied a fully oppositional position, although three informants expressed partial opposition toward messages perceived as overly rigid. These findings indicate that mothers’ reception is shaped not only by the doctor’s credibility but also by caregiving burdens, family culture, platform algorithms, and children’s feeding experiences. The study contributes to digital parenting studies by positioning mothers as active audiences who select, compare, and negotiate health messages before applying them in complementary feeding practices.