Instagram based da’wah and worship engagement among followers of @myquranbest

Abstract

The rapid expansion of social media platforms has reshaped the landscape of Islamic communication, offering new opportunities for da’wah in the digital age. Instagram, with its visually oriented and interactive features, has become a central medium through which Muslim youth in Indonesia seek spiritual content and religious motivation. While prior studies have explored the role of social media in shaping political or social behavior, limited attention has been given to its influence on worship engagement within an Islamic context, especially in Southeast Asia. This study addresses that gap by investigating the impact of the Instagram account @myquranbest on the religious practices of its followers, particularly regarding worship consistency and motivational reinforcement. Drawing upon the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model, the account’s content was conceptualized as the stimulus, followers’ internal reflections and emotional resonance as the organism, and their worship behaviors as the response. A quantitative survey was administered to 91 respondents aged 18–27 who regularly engage with @myquranbest. Using simple linear regression, the analysis demonstrated that exposure to Instagram-based da’wah was a significant predictor of greater worship engagement (β = 0.351; R2 = 0.123; p < 0.05). Although the effect size is modest, the results underscore the behavioral significance of sustained digital da’wah content. These findings support emerging scholarship that positions social media as a catalyst for religious identity formation and daily worship reinforcement among Muslim youth. Theoretically, this study extends the S-O-R framework to digital religion research, confirming that emotionally resonant religious content can stimulate internal motivations leading to observable spiritual practices. Practically, the study provides guidance for da’wah practitioners and Islamic content creators to design effective visual and narrative strategies that resonate with contemporary audiences. By integrating empirical evidence with theoretical insight, this research contributes to the growing literature on digital religion in Southeast Asia and underscores Instagram’s role as both a religious stimulus and a behavioral reinforcer in the everyday spiritual lives of young Muslims.