Dowry Trends in the Digital Era (The Sociology of Islamic law Perspective About Use of Digital Dowry in The Cyber World Community)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the trend of using digital dowries in the practice of marriage in the digital era. The study focuses on the sociological reasons that institutionalize and normative responses to these trends. This qualitative research uses data collection techniques through case tracking in electronic media. The analysis technique uses an interactive model. Heim's theory of virtual reality and Berger's theory of the dialectic of social reality formation are used to analyzing the reasons for the cyber community to use digital dowry. The results showed that bitcoin, crypto assets, gopay balances, google adsense and unlimited hosting became a new trend of giving digital dowries in the practice of marriage digital era. Based on Berger's theory, the tendency to use digital dowries by couples in the digital era was caused by the institutionalization of the digital world among the cyber community. The institutionalization takes place through a dialectic between objectification, internalization and externalization. The use of digital dowry is a form of community externalization that confirms the existence of virtual reality become a rival for the real world. Meanwhile, Heim's analysis shows that digital dowries were caused by the characteristic of the virtual world that resembles the real world, thus facilitating its institutionalization in the cyber community. Normatively, the dowry of the digital era does not contrary to Islamic law because it has the benefit of the same value as a dowry in the real world.