<![CDATA[Serang script, an Arabic-derived writing system used for Bugis and Makassar, reflects the historical interaction of Islam, local languages, and manuscript culture in South Sulawesi. Although its presence has become increasingly visible online, digital visibility alone does not demonstrate active script vitality. This study maps the platforms, media forms, representations, modes of appearance, and functions of verified Serang-script content using a qualitative descriptive design informed by digital philology and the concept of digital vitality. A purposive multi-platform search produced 126 unique public URLs, consisting of 30 archival record pages, 84 manuscript-page image URLs derived from two parent manuscripts, and 12 external sources. Each URL was visually verified to confirm the presence of Serang script. Digital archives accounted for 90.5% of the corpus, while manuscript photographs represented 94.4% of the corpus. Serang appeared predominantly as images (96.8%), with limited representation through video (2.4%) and digital text (0.8%). In functional terms, manuscript documentation dominated (69.0%), followed by local Islamic literacy (23.8%), education (4.0%), and academic information (3.2%). Empirically, these findings indicate that Serang has strong visual-documentary visibility but limited evidence of operational digital use, particularly in searchable, typeable, teachable, and participatory forms. Theoretically, the findings suggest that digital vitality should be distinguished from mere digital visibility and conceptualised through progressive levels of visual presence, digital documentation, and active use. This distinction extends digital philology by directing attention beyond the preservation of digital manuscript objects to the technological, pedagogical, and participatory conditions that enable continued script use. Practically, the findings indicate a need to connect archival resources with metadata, transliteration, learning materials, and appropriate digital-input technologies. These proposed measures represent directions for future preservation and development rather than tested interventions.]]>
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