Digital Piety and Negotiated Authority: Mediatized Islām and Family Power Shifts in Indonesia

Authors : Mohammad Muafi Himam

Pages : 60-77

Doi:10.59149/sduifd.1702487

View : 42 | Download : 169

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study examines the profound transformations in religious authority that have accompanied the rise of digital Islām among urban Muslim families in Indonesia. It analyzes how media-based religious content disseminated through digital platforms such as YouTube and social media restructures the spiritual guidance role traditionally centred within parents. Theoretically, the study is grounded in Stig Hjarvard’s theory of mediatisation and Michel Foucault’s knowledge/power framework. The digital interactions that young Indonesian Muslims establish with charismatic figures such as Hanan Attaki, Abdul Somad, and Salāfi YouTube preachers lead to a redefinition of religious legitimacy and intra-family authority. The research draws attention to two core dynamics: First, digital platforms decentralize authority by enabling youth to access alternative religious knowledge. Second, young people form peer-based spiritual communities in digital spaces, thereby relocating religious learning outside of institutional frameworks. Families do not remain passive in the face of this transformation; at times, they integrate digital preachers into domestic religious discourses, while at other times they resist such influences. The Pemuda Hijrah movement (Hijrāh Youth) movement, founded by Hanan Attaki, presents a model that blends religious preaching with urban youth subcultures. His sincere and non-hierarchical style particularly resonates with the youth, while also raising various concerns among parents and religious institutions. On the other hand, figures such as Abdul Somad and Salāfi preachers (e.g., Khalid Basalamah), with their more traditional and textual approaches, either foster unity within families or generate ideological conflicts. This study reveals that digital Islām does not merely weaken traditional authority; it transforms it. Religious authority has become a dialogical structure negotiated through emotional and aesthetic preferences. Discussions about Islāmic practices within families are often shaped by references to digital content, thereby shifting the centre of power in knowledge production. In Foucault’s conceptualization, parents’ epistemic control over knowledge transitions to digital environments. Furthermore, digital media functions not merely as a carrier of information, but as an environment in which moral discipline and religious identity are shaped. Platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp not only convey religious knowledge but also determine how that knowledge is to be presented, felt, and internalized. In this context, digital media operates on three levels: as a channel that disseminates religious content, as a language that reproduces religious meanings in visual and emotional forms, and as an environment that creates a shared atmosphere for collective religious experience. On these platforms, sermons, short clips, and quotes from the Qur’ān and Hadīth are presented adorned with visual effects and elements of popular culture. This process of aestheticization separates religiosity from traditional rituals and transforms it into a part of individual identity. In conclusion, digital religiosity does not eliminate spiritual guidance within the family; it reshapes it. Families continue their religious lives through negotiation, balancing tradition with digital innovation. In this regard, the study makes a significant contribution to understand how digital media transforms Islāmic authority and intergenerational relationships, illuminating the restructured aspects of contemporary Muslim life.
Keywords : Din sosyolojisi, dijital dindarlık, dinî otorite, medyatikleşme, gençlik dindarlığı, aile dinamikleri

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