WHEN FAITH MEETS THE FEED: HOW RELIGIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS SHAPE RELIGIOUS PRACTICES AND IDENTITY AMONG MUSLIM YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

Muslim young adults can now easily acquire religious knowledge from social media influencers, but little is known about how they affect Islamic practices. The role and impact of social media influencers on Muslim young adults in Islamic private higher education institution are investigated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were carried out using an interpretivist methodology and Source Credibility Theory as a guide. Four topics emerged from the thematic analysis: Relatable Religious Practice, Credibility as a Gatekeeper, Selective and Bounded Religious Practice Change, and Accessible Religious Learning and Guidance. According to research, influencers help people learn and practise religion by providing relatable and easily accessible content. However, their effect is filtered by factors such as perceived legitimacy, preexisting religious knowledge, family, and conventional religious authorities. The study highlights the selective, conditional, and context-dependent nature of influencer-mediated religious influence by introducing Bounded Religious Transformation and proposing the Credibility-Gated Religious Influence Framework.