Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society
Aims and Scope The Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society (JDRCS) is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Zamzami Scholar Publishing, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. The journal provides an international platform for high-quality, original research that critically examines the dynamic interplay between religion, digital technologies, and contemporary social transformations. JDRCS aims to advance interdisciplinary scholarship on how religion is shaped, mediated, and reconfigured within digital environments. The journal is particularly distinguished by its focus on religion as a lived, networked, and algorithmically mediated phenomenon, emphasizing both global developments and context-specific dynamics in the Global South, especially Southeast Asia. The journal welcomes empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions that explore religion in relation to emerging digital infrastructures, including but not limited to social media platforms, artificial intelligence, digital economies, and virtual communities. It prioritizes research that engages with current issues, adopts rigorous methodologies, and contributes to broader academic debates in religious studies, media studies, and social sciences. Scope of the Journal JDRCS publishes original articles, review articles, and critical essays that address topics including, but not limited to: Digital Religion and Lived Religious Practices. Analysis of how religious beliefs, rituals, identities, and authorities are constructed, negotiated, and contested in digital spaces. Social Media, Algorithms, and Religious Authority. Studies on the role of platforms, influencers, and algorithmic systems in shaping religious discourse, authority, and knowledge production. Religion, Artificial Intelligence, and Emerging Technologies. Examination of AI, big data, and automation in relation to religious interpretation, ethics, and epistemology. Online Religious Communities and Digital Publics. Exploration of virtual communities, digital publics, and transnational religious networks. Religion, Politics, and Digital Society. Research on digital activism, polarization, identity politics, and the role of religion in contemporary socio-political contexts. Digital Hermeneutics and Scriptural Interpretation. Studies on how sacred texts are interpreted, circulated, and contested in digital environments. Media, Popular Culture, and Religious Representation. Analysis of religion in digital entertainment, visual culture, and online narratives. Methodological Approaches to Digital Religion. Contributions employing approaches such as netnography, digital ethnography, computational social science, and discourse analysis. Regional and Global Perspectives. Comparative and context-sensitive studies, with particular encouragement for research from underrepresented regions.
Articles
5 Documents
<![CDATA[Mediating Islamic Ecotheology in the Digital Age: A Framing Analysis of Hablum Minal Alam and Ecological Hijrah ]]>
<![CDATA[Sarifatul Insaniyah]]>;
<![CDATA[Abdullah Hosseinieskandian]]>
<![CDATA[ Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): June ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Zamzami Scholar Publishing ]]>
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DOI: 10.64685/JDRCS.2026.1.1.1-33
<![CDATA[This article examines the representation of ecological hijrah and the concept of Hablum Minal Alam (the human-nature relationship) in Greenpeace Indonesia’s YouTube podcast, as featured on the @lyfewithless account. Amidst the environmental crisis and the digitalization of religiosity, this study examines how Islamic ecological theology is mediated and negotiated in the digital space. Using Robert N. Entman’s framing analysis, the study finds that overconsumption and exploitation of nature are framed as moral issues that demand lifestyle changes and individual ecological awareness. This narrative emphasizes practical ethics but has yet to penetrate the spiritual dimension of the ecological crisis. The findings reveal that ecological hijrah is portrayed as a form of digital piety that integrates faith and sustainability, yet it remains vulnerable to being commodified by the logic of social media. This article contributes to the development of Islamic digital ecology studies by revealing the ambiguity between authenticity and performativity in online ecological activism and providing a reflective framework for integrating spirituality and sustainability in the digital space.]]>
<![CDATA[Performing Piety in the Digital Sphere: Framing and Visual Mediation in Hawaariyyun’s Islamic Content ]]>
<![CDATA[Siti Masitho]]>;
<![CDATA[Ghorbanali Karimzadeh Gharamaleki]]>
<![CDATA[ Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): June ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Zamzami Scholar Publishing ]]>
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DOI: 10.64685/JDRCS.2026.1.1.34-59
<![CDATA[This article examines the digital representation of piety in the Islamic content of the @Hawaariyyun account on social media, exploring how it embodies the transformation of piety in the digital age. Through Robert N. Entman’s framing analysis approach and the visual piety perspective, this study explores how Islamic spiritual values are mediated by the visual, algorithmic, and consumptive logic of social media. The results show that @Hawaariyyun frames the spiritual crisis of modern society as a moral problem caused by ego and hedonistic digital culture, and offers solutions in the form of reflective preaching that emphasizes sincerity, simplicity, and self-introspection. The visualization of piety plays a dual role, expanding the space for participatory preaching while placing spirituality within the logic of popularity and media consumption. This article contributes to the development of digital Islam studies by providing a critical framework for understanding piety as a cultural phenomenon that negotiates religious values with media aesthetics and algorithmic influences. These findings enrich the literature on the relationship between religion, gender, and media, and encourage ethical and authentic digital da’wah practices.]]>
<![CDATA[Redefining ‘Idolatry’: The Discursive Reconciliation of K-Pop Fandom and Muslim Identity on YouTube ]]>
<![CDATA[Nur Afifah]]>;
<![CDATA[Vahit Göktaş]]>
<![CDATA[ Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): June ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Zamzami Scholar Publishing ]]>
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DOI: 10.64685/JDRCS.2026.1.1.60-95
<![CDATA[This study examines how Muslim K-pop fans in Indonesia navigate their religious identity in the digital sphere through the YouTube channel LearningByFasting. Using Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis approach and Gary R. Bunt’s Cyber-Islamic Environments framework, this study explores the relationship between language, ideology, and power in da’wah content that combines Islamic values with Korean popular culture. The results reveal a hybridity of discourse, where Islamic terms, such as tauhid and syirik, interact with fandom jargon, including idol, healing, and inspiration. This phenomenon reflects a symbolic negotiation between piety, modernity, and cultural globalization. Audience responses reveal a pattern of moderate digital da’wah, with 29% expressing religious inspiration, 17% criticizing moral issues, and the rest displaying a balanced dialogical attitude. This study concludes that the digital space serves as an arena for creative and inclusive reconstruction of religious identity, while affirming the potential of digital media as an empathetic means of da’wah that strengthens moderate Islam in the global era.]]>
<![CDATA[Contesting the Fitrah: Negotiating Childfree Choices and Islamic Motherhood in the Digital Sphere ]]>
<![CDATA[Citra Imro’atun Najwa Wijaya]]>
<![CDATA[ Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): June ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Zamzami Scholar Publishing ]]>
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DOI: 10.64685/JDRCS.2026.1.1.96-132
<![CDATA[The phenomenon of childfree is becoming increasingly popular in the digital space and has sparked debates that reflect changes in social values, gender identity, and religious dynamics among Muslim women. Childfree is no longer understood as merely a personal decision, but as a social issue that challenges procreation norms and traditional views on the role of women in reproduction. This study aims to analyze how the representation and negotiation of the meaning of ‘childfree’ are formed through digital interactions, using a qualitative method based on netnography, which involves observing video content and comments on the YouTube channel @MenjadiManusia. The results of the study show that digital space is an important arena for the emergence of alternative voices, especially from women who negotiate their rights over their bodies and personal autonomy, while those who reject childfree use arguments of religion and Muslim family morality as the basis for their criticism. These findings align with Heidi A. Campbell’s theory, which posits that digital spaces foster the formation of new identities and authorities as religious values are negotiated through online interactions. Thus, the representation of childfree reflects a shift in the way Muslim societies interpret family, gender roles, and reproductive decisions, and contributes to strengthening digital literacy and efforts to reduce gender-based stigma.]]>
<![CDATA[Styling the Sacred: Helwa Bashel and the Construction of a Pop-Islam Typology in Indonesia ]]>
<![CDATA[Fatimah Laily Rohmah]]>
<![CDATA[ Journal of Digital Religion and Contemporary Society Vol. 1 No. 1 (2026): June ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Zamzami Scholar Publishing ]]>
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DOI: 10.64685/JDRCS.2026.1.1.133-151
<![CDATA[This study analyzes the practice of modest fashion produced by influencer Helwa Basheel on TikTok through Judith Butler’s framework of gender performativity. Based on netnography of content and comments (2022–2025), this study shows that Helwa constructs a strategic and versatile pastel hybrid pashmina aesthetic that is acceptable across different groups, aesthetically pleasing enough to encourage virality, and commercial enough to attract the Gen Z market. The repetition of gestures, color choices, and subtle religious narratives plays a role in softening the historical dichotomy between the square headscarf (NU–Muhammadiyah) and the long khimar (Salafi), resulting in a new typology that is more fluid, adaptive, and in tune with algorithmic logic. The comments section then functions as a secondary performative arena where Gen Z collectively renegotiates the boundaries of piety, shifting from doctrinal references to aesthetic considerations and purchasing power. These findings indicate a shift in religious authority from clerics to influencers and the emergence of a soft, commercial, and easily imitable form of digital piety.]]>
