Construction of Generation Z's Monotheism on Social Media: A Phenomenological Study of UIN Palu Students
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Digital transformation fundamentally altered how Generation Z constructs aqidah (theology), making social media the primary religious information source and challenging traditional authorities. This study is vital because theological fragmentation risks superficiality and cognitive dissonance among future religious educators. Prior research neglected the specific phenomenological process of tauhid (monotheism) construction by Gen Z.
Utilizing Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology, this qualitative study explored the "lived experience" of 18 Islamic Religious Education (PAI) students at UIN Datokarama Palu. Active social media users, selected via purposive sampling, were analyzed using Moustakas's method following in-depth interviews and digital document analysis.
The key finding is "Digital Epistemological Bricolage," characterized by five themes: liquid faith, algorithmic authority, micro-content theology, emotional resonance, and dialogical construction. The study concludes that religious authority has shifted from scholarly capacity to digital metrics. This urgently requires transformative pedagogy in Islamic higher education that integrates critical digital religious literacy to preserve theological depth.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The copyright of the received article shall be assigned to the journal as the publisher of the journal. The intended copyright includes the right to publish the article in various forms (including reprints). The journal maintains the publishing rights to the published articles. Authors are allowed to use their articles for any legal purposes deemed necessary without written permission from the journal with an acknowledgment of initial publication to this journal.
The work under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Abdel-Fadil, M. (2019). The politics of affect: The glue of religious and identity conflicts in social media. Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture, 8(1), 11-34. https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-00801002
Al-Attas, S. M. N. (2001). Risalah untuk kaum muslimin. International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC).
Al-Rawi, A. (2017). Islam on YouTube: Online debates, protests, and extremism. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-39826-0
APJII. (2024). Survei profil internet Indonesia 2024. Asosiasi Penyelenggara Jasa Internet Indonesia. https://survei.apjii.or.id/
Baulch, E., & Pramiyanti, A. (2018). Hijabers on Instagram: Using visual social media to construct the ideal Muslim woman. Social Media + Society, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118800308
Campbell, H. A. (2020). Digital creatives and the rethinking of religious authority. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003045625
Campbell, H. A., & Evolvi, G. (2020). Contextualizing current digital religion research on emerging technologies. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(1), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.149
Campbell, H. A., & Vitullo, A. (2016). Assessing changes in the study of religious communities in digital religion studies. Church, Communication and Culture, 1(1), 73-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/23753234.2016.1181301
Dimock, M. (2019). Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
Echchaibi, N. (2011). From audio tapes to video blogs: The delocalisation of authority in Islam. Nations and Nationalism, 17(1), 25–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8129.2010.00454.x
Hoover, S. M. (2006). Religion in the media age. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203084861
Husserl, E. (1999). The essential Husserl: Basic writings in transcendental phenomenology. Indiana University Press. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt2050vvn
Lukens-Bull, R. (2013). Islamic higher education in Indonesia: Continuity and conflict. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137313416
Menchik, J. (2016). Islam and democracy in Indonesia: Tolerance without liberalism. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316344446
Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412995658
Pandya, S. (2018). Religious authority in the digital age. In Virtual Lives: Christian Reflection (pp. 60-66). Baylor University.
Ridwan, A., & Rustandi, R. (2025). Transformation of prophetic communication patterns in the era of artificial intelligence: Challenges and opportunities for Islamic preaching in Indonesia. al-Balagh: Jurnal Dakwah dan Komunikasi, 10(1), 185-220.
Seemiller, C., & Grace, M. (2016). Generation Z goes to college. Jossey-Bass.
Sunstein, C. R. (2018). Republic: Divided democracy in the age of social media.
Husserl, E. (1999). The essential Husserl: Basic writings in transcendental phenomenology. Indiana University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400890521