Young Islamic preachers on Facebook: Pesantren As’adiyah and its engagement with social media

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article investigates how social media are utilised and appropriated within the community of a pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. More generally, it examines how the exposure and engagement with social media have influenced its religious life and the pesantren tradition which is often associated with conservatism. Nowadays, many pesantren, such as As’adiyah, the oldest and once the largest pesantren in the province of South Sulawesi, have inevitably opened themselves to accept and use modern technology in their teaching and preaching programmes. Since the late twentieth century, the alumni of As’adiyah have been maintaining networks in their South Sulawesi homeland and in other parts of Indonesia through personal encounter as well as the assignment of mubalig (religious preacher) and imam. With the introduction and appropriation of digital technologies, many members of the As’adiyah community have harnessed social media to maintain and strengthen their network and increase their religious reputation.