<![CDATA[In the digital age, the traditional boundaries of pesantren life are becoming increasingly blurred as self-representation activities on social media increase. This phenomenon is clearly seen on the Instagram account @sehand_azhar, which actively visualizes the dynamics of students at Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor. This study aims to analyze how this account constructs the social reality of students through a qualitative approach. Symbolic Convergence Theory is used as an analytical tool to dissect visual and textual narratives, as well as interaction patterns in the comments section. The results show that the use of symbolic cues characteristic of Islamic boarding schools triggers a series of fantasy themes centered on nostalgia, discipline, and boarding school brotherhood. The accumulation of these themes merges into a rhetorical vision that presents santri as modern, adaptive figures who remain steadfast in upholding traditional values. These findings have implications for strengthening the collective identity of alumni in the digital space, while also changing public perceptions of the exclusivity of the modern pesantren world. Di era digital, batasan tradisional kehidupan pesantren semakin kabur seiring meningkatnya aktivitas representasi diri di media sosial. Fenomena ini terlihat jelas pada akun Instagram @sehand_azhar yang aktif memvisualisasikan dinamika santri Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor. Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis bagaimana akun tersebut mengonstruksi realitas sosial santri melalui pendekatan kualitatif. Teori Konvergensi Simbolis (Symbolic Convergence Theory) digunakan sebagai pisau analisis untuk membedah narasi visual, tekstual, dan pola interaksi di kolom komentar. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penggunaan isyarat simbolis (symbolic cues) khas pesantren memicu serangkaian tema fantasi yang berpusat pada nostalgia, kedisiplinan, dan persaudaraan pondok. Akumulasi dari tema-tema ini melebur menjadi sebuah visi retoris (rhetorical vision) yang menampilkan citra santri sebagai sosok yang modern, adaptif, namun tetap teguh memegang nilai tradisi. Temuan ini berimplikasi pada penguatan identitas kolektif alumni di ruang digital, sekaligus mengubah persepsi publik terhadap eksklusivitas dunia pesantren modern.]]>
