Dari Masjid ke Media Sosial: Perubahan Strategi Rekrutmen Radikalisme di Era Generasi Z
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64691/nizamiyah.v1i3.58Keywords:
Radicalism; Social Media; Generation Z; Digital Propaganda; Religious LiteracyAbstract
Changes in the digital communication landscape have shifted radical groups’ recruitment strategies from physical spaces such as mosques to social media platforms, which have become the primary interaction space for Generation Z. The background to this phenomenon indicates that Generation Z, characterized by high connectivity, rapid information mobility, and susceptibility to emotional narratives, is a potential target for the spread of radical ideology packaged in creative and persuasive content. The purpose of this study is to analyze the shift in radical recruitment patterns from mosques to social media, focusing on the mechanisms, appeal, and impact on the religious patterns of Generation Z. The research method used is a literature study with a qualitative approach, reviewing previous research results, reports from international institutions, and analysis of social media content. The results show that social media provides freedom for radical groups to create more personal, interactive, and visually oriented narratives through short videos, memes, and online discussions. Recruitment strategies are no longer centered on direct ideological indoctrination, but rather through soft propaganda approaches such as issues of global injustice, religious identity, and religious lifestyles associated with heroism. Mosques still play a role, but more so in strengthening networks after the initial process is carried out in cyberspace. The research conclusion confirms that social media has become a strategic space in the evolution of radicalism recruitment, and Generation Z requires strong digital-religious literacy to avoid being easily trapped in misleading narratives.
References
Addo, G. (2021). Join the Holy Spirit on Zoom: African Pentecostal churches and their liturgical practices during COVID-19. Approaching Religion, 11(2), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.30664/ar.107728
Arifianto, A. R. (2019). Islamic Campus Preaching Organizations in Indonesia: Promoters of Moderation or Radicalism? Asian Security, 15(3), 323–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/14799855.2018.1461086
Badawy, A., & Ferrara, E. (2018). The rise of Jihadist propaganda on social networks. Journal of Computational Social Science, 1(2), 453–470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42001-018-0015-z
Barberá, P. (2020). Social Media, Echo Chambers, and Political Polarization. In N. Persily & J. A. Tucker (Eds.), Social Media and Democracy (pp. 34–55). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108890960.004
Chambers, J., & Dhu Da, S. N. (2024). “Living With” Revolution: The Everyday Experiences of Myanmar’s Generation Z Revolutionaries. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 54(5), 781–800. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472336.2024.2359373
Chan, C. K. Y., & Lee, K. K. W. (2023). The AI generation gap: Are Gen Z students more interested in adopting generative AI such as ChatGPT in teaching and learning than their Gen X and millennial generation teachers? Smart Learning Environments, 10(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-023-00269-3
Dong, X., Liu, H., Xi, N., Liao, J., & Yang, Z. (2023). Short video marketing: what, when and how short-branded videos facilitate consumer engagement. Internet Research, 34(3), 1104–1128. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-02-2022-0121
Færøy, F. L., Yamin, M. M., Shukla, A., & Katt, B. (2023). Automatic Verification and Execution of Cyber Attack on IoT Devices. Sensors, 23(2), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020733
Freelon, D., & Wells, C. (2020). Disinformation as Political Communication. Political Communication, 37(2), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1723755
Frissen, T. (2021). Internet, the great radicalizer? Exploring relationships between seeking for online extremist materials and cognitive radicalization in young adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 114, 106549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106549
Gravelle, T. B., Medeiros, M., & Nai, A. (2021). In the Shadow of the Tower: Spatial proximity to mosques, visible diversity, and support for the radical right. Political Geography, 91, 102499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2021.102499
Grigoreva, E. A., Garifova, L. F., & Polovkina, E. A. (2021). Consumer Behavior in the Information Economy: Generation Z. International Journal of Financial Research, 12(2), 164. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijfr.v12n2p164
Hanmei, W. (2024). Deep Learning-Based Analysis of Emotional and Content Relevance Between Bullet Screens and Subtitles as Movie Narrative Medium. SAGE Open, 14(3), 21582440241280840. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241280840
Hasibuan, M. H., Harahap, A. P., & Hanifah, A. (2024). The Role of The Prophet in Educating Children and its Implementation in Preventing Gadget Addiction in Children. SANGKÉP: Jurnal Kajian Sosial Keagamaan, 7(2), 309–330. https://doi.org/10.20414/sangkep.v7i2.11159
Hayati, C. N., Ihsan, A. B., & Shaka, M. F. (2022). The influence of social media on religious identity politics among Indonesian millennial generation. Simulacra, 5(2), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.21107/sml.v5i2.16621
Henne, P. S. (2019). Government interference in religious institutions and terrorism. Religion, State and Society, 47(1), 67–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637494.2018.1533691
Herrero-Diz, P., Conde-Jiménez, J., & Reyes de Cózar, S. (2020). Teens’ Motivations to Spread Fake News on WhatsApp. Social Media + Society, 6(3), 2056305120942879. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120942879
Hollewell, G. F., & Longpré, N. (2021). Radicalization in the Social Media Era: Understanding the Relationship between Self-Radicalization and the Internet. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 66(8), 896–913. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211028771
Jasser, G., McSwiney, J., Pertwee, E., & Zannettou, S. (2021). ‘Welcome to #GabFam’: Far-right virtual community on Gab. New Media & Society, 25(7), 1728–1745. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211024546
Johnson, E. K., & Salter, A. (2022). Embracing discord? The rhetorical consequences of gaming platforms as classrooms. Computers and Composition, 65, 102729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2022.102729
Komarac, T., & Ozretić Došen, Đ. (2024). Understanding virtual museum visits: generation Z experiences. Museum Management and Curatorship, 39(3), 357–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/09647775.2023.2269129
Liu, H., Liu, W., Yoganathan, V., & Osburg, V.-S. (2021). COVID-19 information overload and generation Z’s social media discontinuance intention during the pandemic lockdown. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 166, 120600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120600
Machitidze, G. (2020). Comparative Analyses of Terrorist Threats under Conditions of COVID-19. World Economy and International Relations, 64, 5–12. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2020-64-11-5-12
Malik, I., Anam, K., & Ma’mun, S. (2020). Online Radicalism, When Online Surfing Leads to Suffering. ESENSIA: Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Ushuluddin, 21(1), 109–118. https://doi.org/10.14421/esensia.v21i1.2198
Meiering, D., Dziri, A., & Foroutan, N. (2021). Connecting Structures: Resistance, Heroic Masculinity and Anti-Feminism as Bridging Narratives within Group Radicalization. International Journal of Conflict and Violence (IJCV), 14(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.4119/ijcv-3805
Nisrina, C., Jauhara, T., Nazwa, F. A., Khotimah, R. N., Wati, T. A., & Yosep, Z. A. (2025). Korelasi antara Intensitas Penggunaan Media Sosial aan Penurunan Kualitas Interaksi Sosial Siswa. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal, 6(1), 492–497.
Pugliese, M., & Vesper, C. (2022). Digital joint action: Avatar-mediated social interaction in digital spaces. Acta Psychologica, 230, 103758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103758
Putri, F. S. E., Khumayah, S., & Nurfalah, F. (2023). Formation of Self-Identity of Generation Z Through Instagram Social Media Amongst Students. IMAGIONARY, 2(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.51353/jim.v2i1.814
Riendani, C. R., Atshila S, I. R., Abhinaya, A., Abdillah, A. R., & Mufadhol, B. D. (2024). Pengaruh Algoritma Media Sosial Terhadap Selektivitas Konsumsi Berita Politik Pada Generasi Z Di Indonesia. Jurnal Pustaka Cendekia Hukum Dan Ilmu Sosial, 2(3 SE-Articles), 224–228. https://doi.org/10.70292/pchukumsosial.v2i3.68
Rossini, P., Stromer-Galley, J., Baptista, E. A., & Veiga de Oliveira, V. (2020). Dysfunctional information sharing on WhatsApp and Facebook: The role of political talk, cross-cutting exposure and social corrections. New Media & Society, 23(8), 2430–2451. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820928059
Sabic-El-Rayess, A. (2020). Epistemological shifts in knowledge and education in Islam: A new perspective on the emergence of radicalization amongst Muslims. International Journal of Educational Development, 73, 102148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.102148
Schils, N., & Verhage, A. (2017). Understanding How and Why Young People Enter Radical or Violent Extremist Groups. International Journal of Conflict and Violence (IJCV), 11, a473. https://doi.org/10.4119/ijcv-3084
Schmid, U. K., Schulze, H., & Drexel, A. (2025). Memes, humor, and the far right’s strategic mainstreaming. Information, Communication & Society, 28(4), 537–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2329610
Schulze, H., Hohner, J., Greipl, S., Girgnhuber, M., Desta, I., & Rieger, D. (2022). Far-right conspiracy groups on fringe platforms: a longitudinal analysis of radicalization dynamics on Telegram. Convergence, 28(4), 1103–1126. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565221104977
Shin, D., & Jitkajornwanich, K. (2024). How Algorithms Promote Self-Radicalization: Audit of TikTok’s Algorithm Using a Reverse Engineering Method. Social Science Computer Review, 42(4), 1020–1040. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393231225547
Sirola, A., Savela, N., Savolainen, I., Kaakinen, M., & Oksanen, A. (2021). The Role of Virtual Communities in Gambling and Gaming Behaviors: A Systematic Review. Journal of Gambling Studies, 37(1), 165–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-020-09946-1
Stahl, C. C., & Literat, I. (2023). #GenZ on TikTok: the collective online self-Portrait of the social media generation. Journal of Youth Studies, 26(7), 925–946. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2022.2053671
Tsourlaki, S. (2020). Khaled Abou El Fadl and Amina Wadud’s (re)politicisation of the mosque and employment of social media as a means of shaping religious identity based on values of progressive Islam. Contemporary Islam, 14, 309–329. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-020-00453-z
Urman, A., & Katz, S. (2022). What they do in the shadows: examining the far-right networks on Telegram. Information, Communication & Society, 25(7), 904–923. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1803946
Vrikki, P., & Malik, S. (2019). Voicing lived-experience and anti-racism: podcasting as a space at the margins for subaltern counterpublics. Popular Communication, 17(4), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2019.1622116
Weng, L., Flammini, A., Vespignani, A., & Menczer, F. (2012). Competition among memes in a world with limited attention. Scientific Reports, 2(1), 335. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00335
Wijaya, M. F. F., & Al Afnan, A. G. (2025). Digital Multicultural Da’wah and the Prevention of Virtual Radicalism Among Generation Z. Abrahamic Religions: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 5(1), 64. https://doi.org/10.22373/arj.v5i1.29431
Yoder, K. J., Ruby, K., Pape, R., & Decety, J. (2020). EEG distinguishes heroic narratives in ISIS online video propaganda. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 19593. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76711-0
Yusuf, M. F., Siregar, B. B. R. N., & Harahap, A. P. (2024). Implementation of Hadith as a Foundation for Deradicalization in Contemporary Islamic Education Curriculum. At-Turāṡ: Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 11(2), 160–177. https://doi.org/10.33650/at-turas.v11i2.9358
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Kumpul

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.











