Digital dakwah on Instagram : a study on the elaboration of Islamic visuals amongst Indonesian young adults

Abstract

In the era of digital communication, Islamic visuals (i.e. images) have become a vital element of dakwah in social media. However, these visuals’ capability to communicate meaningful messages remains a critical concern. This study explores the Islamic visual elaboration process on Instagram amongst Indonesian young adults, and the meaning-making experience amongst the audience regarding those visuals. This research looks into the experiences of the audience, which currently are not accounted for in existing studies that focus more on the quantitative measures to assess dakwah. Based on the information-processing theories of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and Relevance Theory, this study examined user-related aspects (prior knowledge) and content-related aspects (visual appeals and quality of the dakwah message) that influence the audience’s level of elaboration when viewing the images. The research objectives of this study include understanding the role of prior knowledge, identifying relevant visual appeals, determining relevant dakwah messages, and exploring the outcomes of elaboration. This study used a qualitative methodology involving semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30 Indonesian young adults who are active Instagram users and followers of Islamic accounts. The findings revealed that elaboration was influenced by various sources of knowledge such as life experiences and religious education. The visual elements of Instagram dakwah, such as the use of proportioned colours, balanced text-to-image ratio and the use of familiar imagery, assisted in effective elaboration of the dakwah message. Relevant dakwah topics and the strength of the message, which were based on authentic Islamic sources, also play crucial roles in the elaboration process. This study concludes that effective elaboration of dakwah content not only promotes positive attitudinal changes but also leads to prominent behavioural changes amongst young adults. Keywords: Digital Dakwah, Elaboration Likelihood Model, Indonesian Young Adults, Instagram, Islamic Visuals, Relevance Theory, Religious Communication, Social Media.