Depok, August 12, 2025 – Kurnia Arofah officially earned her Doctor of Communication Science degree from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia (FISIP UI) after successfully defending her dissertation in the Doctoral Promotion Session which took place at the Juwono Sudarsono Auditorium, FISIP UI Depok Campus.
The session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Semiarto Aji Purwanto. The supervisory team consisted of Inaya Rakhmani, Ph.D. and Prof. Evi Eliyanah, Ph.D. with a team of examiners consisting of prominent academics, including Prof. Martin Slama, Ph.D., Najib Kailani, Ph.D., Dr. Hendriyani, Endah Triastuti, Ph.D., and Dr. Niken Febrina.
The dissertation entitled “Religious Mediatization and the Transformation of the Islamic Preacher Market” explores how social media platforms have reshaped preaching practices and the market ecosystem of Islamic preachers in Indonesia. Kurnia’s research uses a critical qualitative approach to map the dynamics of the relationship between media, preachers, and congregations within the framework of the political economy of communication and mediatization theory.
In her speech, Kurnia emphasized that the current practice of social media da’wah relies on the ability to navigate technology, adapt to platforms, and maintain message continuity in an ever-changing public space.
According to him, this transformation does not only involve technical changes in the use of media, but has created a new constellation of da’wah markets. Preachers no longer only speak in pulpits or television screens, but also in algorithmic logic and highly competitive digital engagement.
“The transformation of the Islamic preacher market in the social media era occurs through a complex intertwining of mediatization and individualization. This transformation forms a new Islamic preacher market constellation so that the relationship between social media, preachers, and worshipers is no longer linear.”
This dissertation highlights the shifting role of preachers from religious authorities to public figures who must perform according to media logic and market preferences. The symbolic relationship between religious authority and legitimacy now competes with digital popularity. The results of this research are expected to be an important foothold for further studies on the digitalization of Islam, religious markets, and the logic of new media in Indonesia’s contemporary religious context. (MAP)
