The Mediatization of Islamic Discourse on Instagram: Aestheticization, Personalization, and Newsjacking within Indonesian Media Logic

Ahmad Iqbal; Muhammad  Arsyad

doi:10.66277/jims.1.2.378

Authors

Ahmad Iqbal UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, DI. Yogyakarta Author
Muhammad Arsyad Al-Azhar University, Cairo Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66277/jims.1.2.378

Keywords:

Mediatization of Religion, Islamic Discourse, Media Logic, Digital Da’wah, Instagram

Abstract

This article examines how media logic shapes Islamic discourse on the Instagram account @barengquran. Unlike studies of digital da’wah that emphasize the impact of participation, this research focuses on the mechanisms of discourse production through the framework of the mediatization of religion. Employing a qualitative case-study approach, the study analyzes fourteen purposively selected pieces of content using discourse analysis. The findings reveal three mutually reinforcing processes: aestheticization and dramaturgy, which package teachings through provocative hooks and a surreal-horror aesthetic; personalization, which shifts the validation of meaning from scholarly authority to the reader’s emotional resonance; and newsjacking, which links the emergence of discourse to viral events. Together, these processes demonstrate that mediatization does not merely disseminate religious messages but reconfigures the form, target audience, and agenda of Islamic discourse, while simultaneously filtering which religious aspects are deemed suitable for presentation. This study is limited to the dimension of text production and does not include an analysis of audience reception or commodification.

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