“Media Life” and Islamic Da’wah: Shifts in Religious Literacy Patterns in the Digital Space

Abstract

As media become embedded in everyday life—what scholars describe as media life—the circulation of Islamic knowledge is increasingly shaped by digital infrastructures that challenge traditional forms of authority and preaching (dakwah). This study analyzes how Islamic dakwah practices evolve within media life, with particular attention to emerging forms of religious literacy shaped by digital platforms. Using a qualitative descriptive approach through netnography, the study observes online interactions, discourse production, and audience engagement across selected digital platforms, emphasizing how media affordances and algorithms mediate the circulation and reinterpretation of Islamic messages. Results: The findings demonstrate three major transformations. First, dakwah content increasingly shifts from traditional oral–textual formats to algorithmically curated digital narratives, such as short-form videos and meme-based interpretations. Second, religious literacy becomes participatory, with audiences actively remixing, reframing, and redistributing Islamic messages through comments, duets, stitches, and creative digital production. Third, online environments intensify the contestation of religious authority, as nontraditional actors—including influencers, content creators, and anonymous users—gain visibility comparable to ulama, thereby destabilizing established hierarchies of Islamic knowledge. These transformations highlight the need for renewed frameworks of religious literacy that integrate digital competence, critical awareness, and ethical engagement within contemporary Islamic communication.