YOGYAKARTA – As algorithms increasingly shape
public belief and discourse, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta and the Indonesian
Ulema Council (MUI) convened a campus dialogue to confront the power of social
media. The forum, “Optimizing Digital Mu’amalah
in a Healthy and Productive Way,” underscored how online platforms have
become a battleground where religious authority now competes with the sway of
trending content.
Held on September 24, 2025, at the Faculty of
Medicine’s theatrical hall, the event brought together scholars, religious
leaders, and media experts to explore the challenges of navigating an era of
rapid digitalization. Organized by MUI’s Commission on Information and
Communication (Infokom) in collaboration with UIN Sunan Kalijaga, the
discussion highlighted the urgent need for healthy, productive engagement in
the digital sphere.
Infokom Vice Chair Idy Muzayya opened the session
by citing data that place Indonesia among the lowest in online civility in
Southeast Asia. “This reflects an unhealthy pattern in digital interactions,”
he said, recalling MUI’s decade-long call for a cleaner digital space free from
hoaxes, hate speech, and harmful content. “Our society remains largely a
consumer of content rather than a producer.”
Professor Nur Ichwan, Director of UIN Sunan
Kalijaga’s Graduate School, observed that social media has transformed how
people debate and interpret religion. “Platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram,
Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube are reshaping how religious issues are
discussed,” he noted. “Scientific and theological expertise no longer holds
exclusive authority. Today anyone can access religious information through a
simple search or AI tool, while MUI’s fatwas are no longer the sole reference.
Digital authority now rivals traditional authority.”
He urged Islamic universities and MUI to step
into the digital arena. “We must fill social media with positive, academically
grounded content, avoid provocation and hate speech, and resist the culture of
exhibitionism,” he said. Ichwan suggested that lecturers encourage students to
create essays or creative posts for their personal accounts, ensuring credible
narratives circulate online rather than leaving the space to instant religious
influencers propelled by algorithms.
“If we let algorithm-driven figures dominate,
society risks losing its intellectual footing,” he warned, adding that UIN
Sunan Kalijaga’s diverse faculties—especially Communication and Islamic
Broadcasting—offer strong resources for shaping responsible digital discourse.
Infokom Chair KH. Masduki Baidlowi broadened
the discussion with a warning about “surveillance capitalism,” a practice in
which major tech companies harvest behavioral data—from clicks and searches to
locations and emotions—to predict and influence user behavior for profit.
Algorithms, he said, create echo chambers that feed users only content matching
their preferences, amplifying radicalization and bias.
The
forum concluded with a shared commitment from UIN Sunan Kalijaga and MUI to
strengthen digital literacy and empower students and scholars as producers of
authoritative, constructive content. Their message was clear: in an age where
algorithms rival tradition, credible voices must occupy the digital space to
safeguard knowledge and religious guidance. (humassk)