THE RHETORIC OF DA’WAH IN THE TIKTOK ERA: AN ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL PREACHERS’ COMMUNICATION STYLES AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON GENERATION Z IN INDONESIA
Abstract
The proliferation of short-form video content on platforms like TikTok has created a new frontier for Islamic preaching (da’wah), fundamentally altering how religious messages are communicated to younger audiences. This digital shift poses new challenges and opportunities, particularly in engaging Generation Z in Indonesia, a demographic highly active on the platform. This research aims to analyze the rhetorical communication styles of prominent Indonesian digital preachers on TikTok and to assess their influence on the religious perceptions and engagement of Generation Z. Employing a qualitative methodology combining virtual ethnography and critical discourse analysis of popular da’wah videos, complemented by online interviews with Gen Z users, this study delves into contemporary Islamic communication. The results identify a predominant use of relatable storytelling, humor, and trend-integration as key rhetorical strategies. These styles foster high engagement and a personalized religious connection among youth but also risk oversimplifying complex theological issues. In conclusion, the rhetoric of da’wah on TikTok marks a significant evolution in religious discourse, effectively capturing the attention of Generation Z but also highlighting a critical need for digital religious literacy to ensure deeper understanding.
Full text article
References
Barnard, S. R. (2024). This is how we.win! Capital-building and media manipulation practices on The_Donald. Information Communication and Society, 27(14), 2480–2497. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2352637
Bhandari, A., & Sun, B. (2023). An online home for the homeless: A content analysis of the subreddit r/homeless. New Media and Society, 25(9), 2419–2436. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211048615
Bigman, C. A., Planey, A. M., Williamson, L. D., Smith, M. A., & McNeil Smith, S. (2023). ‘There will be screen caps’: The role of digital documentation and platform collapse in propagation and visibility of racial discourses. Information Communication and Society, 26(9), 1812–1829. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2041698
Buehling, K., Zhang, X., & Heft, A. (2025). Veiled conspiracism: Particularities and convergence in the styles and functions of conspiracy-related communication across digital platforms. New Media and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251315756
Butkowski, C. P. (2023). “If you didn’t take a selfie, did you even vote?”: Embodied mass communication and citizenship models in “I voted” selfies. New Media and Society, 25(9), 2399–2418. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211068937
Cao, W., Ma, Y., Zhang, Y., & Chen, C. (2025). The associations between internet use and loneliness among older adults: A three-level meta-analysis. Information Communication and Society, 28(2), 316–334. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2460567
Dong, J., Qiao, D., & Xu, T. (2025). The potential of ICT: reducing rural residents’ cognitive biases towards ecological policies. Information Communication and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2525484
Dowling, M.-E. (2024). News to me: Far-right news sharing on social media. Information Communication and Society, 27(1), 39–55. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2166796
Grates, M., & Brandt, M. (2025). (How) did self-rated health status shape Internet use among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany? New Media and Society, 27(2), 1073–1092. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231188971
Ha?ler, J., Kümpel, A. S., & Keller, J. (2023). Instagram and political campaigning in the 2017 German federal election. A quantitative content analysis of German top politicians’ and parliamentary parties’ posts. Information Communication and Society, 26(3), 530–550. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.1954974
Hietajärvi, L., Mascheroni, G., Waechter, N., Järvinen, J., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2024). Latent profiles of adolescents’ digital skills across six European countries. New Media and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241258704
Jhoti, A., & Allen, W. L. (2025). Visual bordering: How refugee-serving organizations represent refugees on Instagram. New Media and Society, 27(6), 3102–3126. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231220856
Jia, P., & Zhang, Z. (2025). Misinformation dissemination and correction in online informal groups: The role of social distance and group dynamics. New Media and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251366170
Kang, T., Battocchio, A. F., Thorson, K., Dong, C., & Sharma, P. (2025). Trade-offs in a bigger pie: How the relationships between digital civic infrastructure and political participation vary across rural and urban communities–the case of Michigan. Information Communication and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2524579
Karatas, D. (2023). The uses of Twitter in the construction and maintenance of Occupy Gezi’s collective identity. Information Communication and Society, 26(7), 1401–1417. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2021.2011946
Kidd, D., Recuber, T., Atwell, M., Burgese, T., Chelius, A., DeMarco, J., Gallant, D., Guidry, B., Hartenbaum, G., Joyce, C., Ki, Y. J., McDonald, K., Metzker, L., Scheffler, J., Vazquez, V., Walsh, J., & Yin, F. (2023). Beyond myopia in communications and the sociology of media. Information Communication and Society, 26(5), 877–880. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2195902
Kuai, J., Brantner, C., Karlsson, M., van Couvering, E., & Romano, S. (2025). AI chatbot accountability in the age of algorithmic gatekeeping: Comparing generative search engine political information retrieval across five languages. New Media and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251321162
Li, Y., Cheng, Z., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2025). TikTok’s political landscape: Examining echo chambers and political expression dynamics. New Media and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251339755
Markham, A. (2024). Algorithms as conversational partners: Looking at Google auto-predict through the lens of symbolic interaction. New Media and Society, 26(9), 5059–5080. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241251800
Mathe, L. (2023). Women’s political participation in Zimbabwe: Play and content creation on Twitter. Information Communication and Society, 26(13), 2598–2613. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2250442
Miguel, C., Lutz, C., Majeti?, F., & Perez-Vega, R. (2025). Working from paradise? An analysis of the representation of digital nomads’ values and lifestyle on Instagram. New Media and Society, 27(4), 2230–2252. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231205892
Muselli, L., O’Neil, M., Pailler, F., & Zacchiroli, S. (2025). Subverting or preserving the institution: Competing IT firm and foundation discourses about open source. New Media and Society, 27(6), 3217–3239. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231222249
Nguyen, D. (2023). Wear your digital mask, fight this virus like it’s the enemy: Pandemic user-citizenship as platform-infrastructure entanglements. Information Communication and Society, 26(15), 3019–3036. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2131364
Reynolds, C. J., & Hallinan, B. (2024). User-generated accountability: Public participation in algorithmic governance on YouTube. New Media and Society, 26(9), 5107–5129. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241251791
Sandri, G., Lupato, F. G., Meloni, M., von Nostitz, F., & Barberà, O. (2025). Mapping the digitalisation of European political parties. Information Communication and Society, 28(10), 1757–1778. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2343369
Shifman, L., Trillò, T., Hallinan, B., Mizoroki, S., Green, A., Scharlach, R., & Frosh, P. (2025). The expression of values on social media: An analytical framework. New Media and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241307035
Snoussi, T., Lassoued, K., & Abidi, S. (2023). ‘Live’ to ‘survive’: Women and digital political communication in Tunisia. Information Communication and Society, 26(13), 2535–2553. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2023.2239875
Tolsma, J., & Spierings, N. (2024). Twitter and divides in the Dutch parliament: Social and political segregation in the following, @-mentions and retweets networks. Information Communication and Society, 27(7), 1458–1477. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2305159
Törnberg, A., & Nissen, A. (2023). Mobilizing against Islam on social media: Hyperlink networking among European far-right extra-parliamentary Facebook groups. Information Communication and Society, 26(15), 2906–2924. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2118546
Waldherr, A., Stoltenberg, D., Maier, D., Keinert, A., & Pfetsch, B. (2024). Translocal networked public spheres: Spatial arrangements of metropolitan Twitter. New Media and Society, 26(11), 6636–6657. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231156579
Wang, Z. (2025). A return of dominant paradigm in China: Making Alibaba a development solution for rural China and the globe. Information Communication and Society, 28(3), 396–416. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2363916
Weigel, M., & Gitomer, A. (2025). Hate-sharing: A case study of its prevalence and impact on Gab. New Media and Society, 27(9), 5022–5044. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241245349
Witteborn, S. (2025). Web3 and deep play: Blockchain gaming in the Global South. New Media and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336435
Xu, Y. (2025). The network mechanisms behind the sharing of online traffic among three platforms in two different categories: A longitudinal analysis of audience overlap among social and communication platforms. Information Communication and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2506142
Zhou, Y., & Pun, N. (2024). Affording worker solidarity in motion: Theorising the intersection between social media and agential practices in the platform economy. New Media and Society, 26(8), 4885–4903. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221130474
Zou, W., Liu, Z., & Lin, C. (2025). The influence of individuals’ emotional involvement and perceived roles of AI chatbots on emotional self-efficacy. Information Communication and Society. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2025.2508394
Authors
Copyright (c) 2025 Khalid Rahman, Nina Anis, Dara Vann, Ming Pong
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
