Meaning-Making of Infertility: Digital Interaction and Identity Negotiation in an Indonesian IVF Support Community

Ayu Rachmahwati; Khuswatun Hasanah

doi:10.12928/channel.v14i2.2370

Authors

Ayu Rachmahwati Universitas Gadjah Mada
Khuswatun Hasanah Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12928/channel.v14i2.2370

Keywords:

Digital communication, Online support community, Symbolic interaction, Infertility, Telegram

Abstract

Online infertility communities have become important spaces for social support, information exchange, and connection among individuals experiencing infertility. However, less is known about how everyday communication within these communities transforms individual experiences into shared meanings. This study examines how members of the Indonesia IVF Community (KITA), an online support community on Telegram, construct and negotiate meanings through digital interaction. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, data were collected in June 2026 through semi-structured in-depth interviews with two active KITA members, participant observation, and digital documentation. The findings identify five interconnected dimensions of meaning-making: emotional support, fertility literacy and collective knowledge, identity transformation, solidarity and symbolic language, and structural inequality. The study shows that KITA functions not merely as a channel for exchanging medical information, but as a communicative environment in which members interpret their experiences, develop shared knowledge, negotiate infertility-related identities, and construct solidarity. These processes, however, unfold amid differences in socioeconomic circumstances and access to fertility-related resources. The study contributes to digital health communication research by emphasizing how meanings are produced through everyday interaction. It also highlights the potential of online communities to complement formal fertility care through peer support and experiential knowledge sharing.

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