FENOMENA ”USTADZ INSTAN” DALAM DINAMIKA LITERASI KEAGAMAAN GENERASI MUDA

Abstract

The emergence of the “instant ustadz” trend among young people—figures who rapidly gain religious legitimacy through popularity on social media without being supported by sufficient depth of knowledge and religious literacy—has become a troubling phenomenon. This study aims to examine the proliferation of this phenomenon in relation to the crisis of religious literacy among young Muslim generations in Indonesia. Employing a qualitative approach and discourse analysis of digital media content as well as relevant literature, the study finds that low levels of religious literacy—encompassing the ability to understand texts, contexts, and methodologies of Islamic scholarship—create a vacuum that is easily filled by instant and simplistic religious authorities. Social media accelerates this dynamic through algorithms that prioritize popularity and user engagement over the quality and depth of content. As a result, there is a superficialization of religious understanding, uncritical veneration of figures, and increased vulnerability to the spread of narrow and intolerant religious narratives. Social media further reinforces this process through algorithmic mechanisms that favor popularity and engagement metrics rather than substance or analytical rigor. Therefore, structured efforts are needed in both formal and non-formal education to enhance critical religious literacy among younger generations, while simultaneously strengthening digital literacy so that they are better equipped to filter and comprehend religious information accurately and wisely.