Journal Of World Science
Vol. 5 No. 3 (2026): Journal of World Science

Virality and Public Moral Judgment: A Study of Netizen Comments on The Gus Elham Video Case

Juliyanti, Sofi (Unknown)
Juniko, Dias Senja (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
27 Mar 2026

Abstract

The case of a viral video featuring young preacher Gus Elham showing himself kissing a small child during da'wah activities has sparked widespread controversy on social media, especially Instagram. Various counter-netizens' comments expressed sharp criticism of the act, which was deemed inappropriate and exceeded the ethical limits of interaction between adults and children. This study analyzes the pattern of netizens' criticism in video uploads of Gus Elham's case recordings to understand how digital society builds moral narratives against religious figures in digital public spaces. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach through the analysis of Instagram comment content, focusing on netizens' counter-comments as the main data. The results of the study show the dominance of ethical criticism, demands for child protection, moral delegitimization of religious figures, and calls for social and legal responsibility. These findings show the role of netizens as active social actors in shaping public ethics discourse and social control over religious figures in the digital space. This study recommends strengthening digital da'wah ethics literacy and preparing guidelines for public interaction ethics for religious figures on social media.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jws

Publisher

Subject

Computer Science & IT Economics, Econometrics & Finance Engineering Health Professions Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

Journal Of World Science is a scientific journal in the form of research and can be accessed openly. This journal is published monthly by CV Riviera Publishing. Journal of World Science provides a means for ongoing discussion of relevant issues that fall within the focus and scope of the journal ...