The Role of Social Media in Forming Self-Identity: A Study of Kadam Sidik’s Lifestyle and Fashion Branding on TikTok

Abstract

Social media has become one of the most consequential dimensions of human life, reshaping how individuals form identity, character and everyday lifestyle. This study aims to examine how tiktok content of Kadam Sidik (Husein Basyaiban), an Indonesian TikTok content creator and influencer known as Ucen, shapes followers’ self-identity and lifestyle orientation through Islamic fashion promotion (Jubah/Gamis) and knowledge-sharing videos. The study employes a qualitative content analysis approach, drawing from 15 TikTok videos selected based on thematic relevance, engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments, and saved videos), and the availability of substantive audience responses, collected in October 2024. The analysis is grounded on Albert Bandura’s (1977)) social learning theory and George Herbert Mead’s (1934) symbolic interactionism to explain how observational learning and identity construction occur in algorithmically mediated digital spaces. Findings reveal that Kadam Sidik’s content generates substantial social engagement and triggers complex identity related responses among followers, including parasocial admiration, cross-gender identification, and active knowledge transmission, demonstrating that algorithmically curated content grounded in Islamic values can serve as a measurable driver of character formation and lifestyle adoption in the contemporary Indonesian digital context. These findings carry practical implications for educators, parents, religious leaders, and policymakers concerned with youth character development in digital spaces. The study contributes original empirical evidence on influencer driven identity construction within a specifically Indonesian, Islamic inflected context, extending a body of scholarship oriented predominantly toward Western and secular settings.