Meaning-Making of Paid Da’wah Among Indonesian Social Media Netizens

Abstract

Paid dawah held in luxury hotel ballrooms have become a visible digital phenomenon in Indonesia, generating debate regarding representation, accessibility, and spiritual experience. While previous studies have largely focused on religious institutions, preachers, or commodification, there remains limited research examining how digital audiences interpret and negotiate meaning within this emerging da’wah format. This study fills that gap by analyzing how netizens respond to, frame, and reconstruct the image of hotel-based da’wah circulating through TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. This research employs a qualitative design using a cyberphenomenology approach grounded in representation theory. The dataset consists of social media comments, which were inductively coded using NVivo 12 to trace patterns of perception, symbolic tension, and meaning-making within digital discourse. Findings reveal a shifting landscape of religious meaning. Discussions indicate a reconfiguration of da’wah authority, where legitimacy is shaped not only through knowledge, but also through digital visibility and performative aesthetics. Public responses further show that hotel da’wah is perceived through the logic of event-like experience, marked by ticketing systems, seat tiers, and staged visual atmospheres resembling concerts or motivational seminars. Meaning therefore does not reside solely in the lecture, but emerges through packaging, reception, and comparison with other social experiences. This study contributes to digital da’wah scholarship by demonstrating how meaning is negotiated through representation and public interaction. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of inclusive access and participation in visually mediated da’wah spaces.