From Revelation to Engagement: Generative AI Visuals, Platform Affordances, and the Desacralization of the Qur'an in Cyberspace

Abstract

The mediatization of sacred texts in cyberspace is often perceived as a neutral extension of the medium; however, generative AI (Gen-AI) and algorithmic architectures increasingly disrupt the hermeneutical stability of scripture. This study explores the epistemological conflict between social media architecture and divine revelation through an exploratory-qualitative approach combined with netnography. By analyzing textual and visual data from the Instagram account @abdullmaa using Jean Baudrillard’s postmodern socio-semiotic framework, the findings reveal that platform affordances function as a circuit of simulacra that undermine the Qur’an’s transcendental autonomy. This occurs through three pathways of desacralization: extreme syntactic fragmentation, Gen-AI generated cinematic hyperreality replacing contemplative engagement (tadabbur), and the implosion of meaning into metric-driven popular scientific jargon. Consequently, this study highlights a critical shift in the locus of authenticity, where scriptural interpretation is no longer validated by traditional exegetical authority but is instead algorithmically engineered by digital platforms.