Respect on Social Media:

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a halt with lockdowns and restricted public gatherings. This has resulted in religious organizations relying on social media to reach out to and stay in touch with their members. The current gauge of success of a social media community is based on the engagement and participation of its members—in liking, sharing, and generating content for the group. This article examines the online behaviour, through the use of online intensive interviews, of twenty-one young adults aged between 18–30 who were members of an online Buddhist Facebook group (BLIA YAD) during the pandemic. This article attempts to provide insight into the role of respect and effect on the online participation and engagement of its members. Respect being a crucial part of the belief system of the faithful has led to low levels of engagement and participation on the organization’s social media. This study examines the role that respect plays amongst the participants in the context of Malaysia where religion conservatism is at odds with the freedom of expression that is prevalent on most social media platforms.