DIGITALIZING DA’WAH AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES IN CONTEMPORARY INDONESIA: After the Fall of Religious Leader

<strong>Abstract</strong>: Smartphone technology has evolved into a new <em>da</em><em>‘</em><em>wah</em> platform in the contemporary era. The emergence of Islamic applications and social media seems to have created a new form of religious involvement in the public sphere in Indonesia recently. This article examines the ‘Aa Gym’ apps and @aagym as a da’wa media platform launched by a popular preacher, KH. Abdullah Gymnastiar. This study describes how the two platforms serve as media for Islamic da’wah with the jargon of iconic religious figures. Using the case study method, we interviewed 20 users of both platforms and Aa Gym as key informants. The results found that: (1) ‘Aa Gym’ apps had created a new form of religious involvement in the digital media landscape before Aa Gym experienced the destruction of itslife, while @aagym was more in demand by the public after practising polygamy as an effort to revive religious authority which had downfall. (2) these two platforms, as primary needs, consume religion without space and time limits. (3) these two platforms depend on the electability of religious figures in the public sphere.<br /><strong> </strong><br /><strong>Keywords:</strong><strong> </strong>Islamic applications, religious authorities, religious leaders, digitalization of da’wah, contemporary<br /> <br /><strong>Abstrak:</strong><strong> </strong>Teknologi smartphone telah berevolusi menjadi platform baru dakwah di era kontemporer. Munculnya aplikasi Islami dan media sosial rupanya menciptakan bentuk baru keterlibatan agama dalam ruang publik di Indonesia baru-baru ini. Artikel ini mengkaji ‘Aa Gym’ apps dan @aagym sebagai platform media dakwah yang diluncurkan dai populer, KH. Abdullah Gymnastiar. Studi ini memaparkan bagaimana kedua platform tersebut sebagai media dakwah Islam dengan jargon tokoh keagamaan yang ikonik. Menggunakan metode studi kasus, kami mewawancarai 20 orang pengguna kedua platform tersebut, dan Aa Gym sebagai informan kunci. Hasil penelitian ini menemukan bahwa: (1) ‘Aa Gym’ apps telah menciptakan bentuk baru pelibatan agama dalam lanskap media digital sebelum Aa Gym mengalami kejatuhan dalam kehidupannya, sedangkan @aagym lebih diminati publik pasca melakukan praktik poligami sebagai upaya bangkitnya otoritas keagamaan yang sempat runtuh. (2) kedua platform ini sebagai kebutuhan primer mengkonsumsi agama tanpa batas ruang dan waktu. (3)kedua platform ini bergantung pada elektabilitas tokoh agama di ruang publik.<br /> <br /><strong>Kata Kunci</strong>: aplikasi Islam, otoritas agama, pemuka agama, digitalisasi dakwah, kontemporer

Abstract licence: CC BY-SA

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