From Health Discourse to Commercial Industry: A Critical Discourse Analysis and Political Economy of Media on Female Fitness Influencers’ Content

Salmi Miftah Hidayah; Aidil Fitrian

From Health Discourse to Commercial Industry: A Critical Discourse Analysis and Political Economy of Media on Female Fitness Influencers’ Content

Authors

Salmi Miftah Hidayah Universitas Riau
Aidil Fitrian Universitas Riau

Keywords:

critical discourse analysis, fitness influencers, body commodification

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the shift in the discourse of healthy living into a component of the commercial industry within female fitness influencers’ content on social media. Over the past decade, female fitness influencers have played a significant role as digital health communicators who shape audiences’ perceptions, motivations, and fitness practices. This research employs a qualitative approach using a literature review method and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) based on Norman Fairclough’s model, supported by a political economy of media framework. The findings indicate that the discourse of healthy living is constructed through narratives of bodily discipline, visual aesthetics, and physical achievement that emphasize ideal body standards. This discourse is not neutral but is closely tied to practices of body and healthy lifestyle commodification through endorsements, brand collaborations, and the monetization logic of digital platforms. The political economy of media analysis reveals power relations among platforms, brands, and influencers in shaping the production and distribution of health discourse. This study concludes that health discourse on social media has transformed into a commodity operating within the structures of platform capitalism and the digital fitness industry.

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From Health Discourse to Commercial Industry: A Critical Discourse Analysis and Political Economy of Media on Female Fitness Influencers’ Content