Social Media Dynamics and Islamic Identity in Contemporary Indonesia

Over the past decade, Indonesia has witnessed an extraordinary surge in social media usage among its Muslim population, reshaping patterns of religious authority, public piety and communal identity. Platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram now serve not only as spaces for devotional practice but also as marketplaces for religious guidance, where preachers cultivate followership through livestream sermons, digital Qur’an study groups and interactive messaging. This digital turn has fostered novel forms of social capital, as trust and legitimacy are negotiated through online engagement metrics, rapid message forwarding and algorithmically curated group discussions. At the same time, concerns about authenticity, “showing off” one’s piety, and doctrinal deviations have given rise to new anxieties within Muslim communities. Gender dynamics have been reframed online too, as female scholars and activists deploy digital tools to rearticulate authority and to advocate for social justice issues, including gender equality and minority rights. The interplay between algorithmic amplification and grassroots digital daʿwa illustrates how local practices in Indonesia have global resonance, offering insights into the governance of religious expression and the politics of online moderation worldwide.

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Social Media Dynamics and Islamic Identity in Contemporary Indonesia publication trend

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Technical terms

Riyāʾ: The act of displaying one’s piety publicly, often viewed as insincere in Islamic ethics.

Daʿwa: The practice of inviting others to understand and embrace Islamic teachings.

ʿUlamāʾ: Learned Muslim scholars responsible for interpreting religious texts and guiding community practice.

Preacher economy: The online system of exchanges—time, attention and resources—between religious educators and their digital audiences.

References

1. A subtle economy of time: Social media and the transformation of Indonesia's Islamic preacher economy. Economic Anthropology (2017).
2. Online piety and its discontent: revisiting Islamic anxieties on Indonesian social media. Indonesia and the Malay World (2018).
3. Who are the allies of queer Muslims?. Indonesia and the Malay World (2022).
4. Relegitimizing Religious Authority: Indonesian Gender-Just ʿUlamāʾ Amid COVID-19. Religions (2022).