PEMAKNAAN OBJEK WISATA GUNUNG BROMO MELALUI FOTO UNGGAHAN INSTAGRAM (Analisis Resepsi Pengikut Akun @ExoticBromo)

The development of social media, particularly Instagram, has established it as an effective visual communication medium for shaping tourist perceptions and interest through visual representation. Photos serve not only as a documentation but also as a persuasive tool capable of building the image of a tourism destination. This study aims to determine the audience reception toward photo uploads on the @ExoticBromo Instagram account. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach. Data collection techniques included in depth interviews, observations, and Focus Group Discussions (FGD). Data analysis followed the Miles and Huberman model, with validity ensured through source triangulation. The result indicate that the management performs encoding through cinematic and human experience visual concepts to build brand awareness as a premium yet affordable service. Audience decoding is categorized into three positions: dominant, where the audience accepts the agency’s professionalism through influencer social proof. Negotiated, where they accepts the aesthetics but remain skeptical of real-word weather conditions, and oppositional, where they criticize editing techniques perceived as unnatural. A key finding shows that these photo uploads are interpreted by the audience as a promise of a “documentation experience”, which serves as a primary factor in the tourist’ decision-making process.