Digital literature and the politics of healing: Leveraging instapoetry for good health and well-being (SDG 3) and gender equality (SDG 5)

¹ State University of Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
² IST-Hochschule für Management, Düsseldorf, Germany

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particular SDG 3 on Good Health and Well-being and SDG 5 on Gender Equality, Digital Literature has emerged a vital instrument for social inclusion and psychological recovery. This article examines Instapoetry, a genre born from digital platforms, as a mechanism for woman to negotiate trauma and reclaim agency in the digital sphere. Using Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection, this study analyses nine poems by Eni Safitri to understand how digital narratives facilitate mental health recovery. The findings reveal that Safitri’s work operates through three axes of abjection: (1) cleansing and separation from toxic relationship, (2) the internalization of pain as a form of resilience, and (3) spiritual sublimation. These processes demonstrate that Instapoetry is not merely an aesthetic expression but a psychosocial tool that transform wounds into collective strength. Consequently, this study argues that Digital Literature plays a crucial role promoting societal well-being by providing and inclusive space for marginalized voices to articulate and process emotional struggle, thereby supporting the global agenda for gender equity and mental health resilience.