Dakwah by influencers, celebrities, and santri: the production of religious authority in indonesia’s digital public sphere

  • Uli Mardiyah Wulandari 
    Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an Jawa Tengah, Wonosobo
    Indonesia
  • Muhammad Yusuf
    Universitas Sains Al-Qur'an Jawa Tengah, Wonosobo
    Indonesia

Abstract

The development of digital media has transformed how religious authority is constructed and recognized in Indonesia. This study examines how influencers, celebrities, and Santri negotiate religious legitimacy in the digital public sphere and how traditional and digital forms of legitimacy are combined. Using a qualitative multiple case study approach, the study analyzes six digital religious actors: two influencers (Hawariyyun and Dena Haura), two celebrities (Arie Untung and Teuku Wisnu), and two Santri (Gus Baha and Ning Shema Huda). One religious post from each account was analyzed, resulting in six posts from TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, observed during January–July 2026. Actors were purposively selected based on their active engagement in Islamic preaching, follower base, religious content, religious involvement or authority, and activity across the selected platforms. Comments were selected based on their relevance to the da’wah theme and their indication of audience acceptance of religious authority. Data were analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña framework through open and axial coding, focusing on sources of legitimacy, forms of capital, communication strategies, audience recognition, and platform-mediated visibility. The findings identify three pathways of religious legitimacy: digital-affective legitimacy among influencers, popularity-based legitimacy among celebrities, and scholarly legitimacy among Santri. For example, Gus Baha’s selected YouTube post received 532,120 views, 4,900 likes, and 274 comments, illustrating how established scholarly authority can be circulated and recognized through digital engagement. Similarly, Ning Shema Huda’s TikTok post received 27,200 likes, 316 comments, 3,525 saves, and 2,008 shares, demonstrating the digital dissemination of Santri-based religious authority. These findings indicate that digital media does not simply replace traditional religious authority but mediates its visibility, circulation, and audience recognition, producing a hybrid configuration in which scholarly capital, popularity, digital visibility, and audience engagement interact.

Keywords
  • Celebrities
  • Influencers
  • Preachers
  • Religious authorities
  • Santri
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