Staging the commons through the “Padha nonton” song; YouTube, community engagement, and Gandrung cultural practice

This study examines how the Gandrung accompaniment song “Padha nonton” participates in processes of digital cultural sharing when circulated on YouTube. It employs a qualitative interpretive method within a netno‐pragmatic framework to analyse audience engagement as a culturally informed social practice. The findings show that the song’s linguistic features convey cultural scripts of invitation, togetherness, and communal spectatorship, reflecting the role of the Gandrung tradition in shaping shared social relationships and cultural values. Furthermore, the study identifies three interrelated processes: re-medialization, re-experiencing, and re-conception through which the performance extends beyond its original ritual context and becomes a shared cultural resource. Audience practices in identity expression and authenticity negotiation contribute to the collective maintenance and re‐transmission of cultural knowledge in digital media. In this context, YouTube facilitates community engagement, fostering a sense of shared belonging among dispersed audiences. Overall, this study positions digital media as a dynamic, contested space in which cultural meaning is continuously remade through collective participation

Commons · Community of practice · Community practice · Cultural diversity · Cultural issues · Cultural practice · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Diverse Musicological Studies · South Asian Cinema and Culture