Muslim Life in the Digital Era: Islam, Identity, and Social Media

Abstract

The development of digital technology has transformed the ways Muslims access religious knowledge, express Islamic identity, participate in religious communities, and interact with religious authorities. Social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp have become important spaces for Islamic communication and everyday religious engagement. In Indonesia, this transformation is significant because digital media have become deeply embedded in social life. DataReportal reported approximately 230 million internet users and 180 million social media user identities in Indonesia in late 2025, demonstrating the extensive reach of digital communication in the country. This article examines Muslim life in the digital era by focusing on the relationship between Islam, identity, and social media. The study employs a qualitative literature review approach and draws on scholarship concerning digital religion, mediatization, religious identity, Islamic knowledge, and religious authority. The discussion is organized into four themes: social media as a new space for Muslim religious life; the formation of digital Muslim identity; the transformation of Islamic knowledge and religious authority; and the opportunities and challenges of digital religious engagement. The article argues that social media do not merely function as communication tools but have become social environments in which Islamic meanings are produced, circulated, interpreted, and negotiated. Muslim identity in the digital era is increasingly networked, visible, flexible, and shaped by interactions between religious traditions and digital culture. At the same time, digitalization creates challenges related to misinformation, fragmented authority, religious commodification, and algorithmic visibility. Understanding contemporary Muslim life therefore requires an approach that connects religious studies with sociology, media studies, and digital culture.