Social media have become part of the private and public lifestyles of youth globally. Drawing on both online and offline research in Indonesia, this article focuses on the use of Instagram by Indonesian Muslim youth. It analyzes how religious messages uploaded on Instagram through posts and captions have a significant effect on the way in which Indonesian Muslim youth understand their religion and accentuate their (pious) identities and life goals. This article argues that Instagram has recently become the ultimate platform for Indonesian female Muslim youth to educate each other in becoming virtuous Muslims. The creativity and zeal of the creators of Instagram daʿwa (proselytization), and their firm belief that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’, has positioned them as social media influencers, which in turn has enabled them to conduct both soft daʿwa and lucrative daʿwa through business.

The Indonesian democratic transition, which occurred after the collapse of the New Order, was a significant moment that enabled diverse Islamic groups to use media for their own interests. However, little has been discussed regarding the use of media in dakwah (Islamic proselytising) performed by Muslim activists who are not inclined to participate in radical activities. This article focuses on the use of social media in dakwah by One Day One Juz (ODOJ), which endeavours to encourage Muslims to revive the spirit of reading the Qur’an through the mobile application WhatsApp. Given that ODOJ has successfully recruited more than 140,000 followers in Indonesia and abroad, this article investigates the key actors of ODOJ and the extent to which it has mobilised religious sentiments among Muslims from diverse affiliations. It argues that WhatsApp has enabled the birth of a semi-virtual Qur’anic movement, which is rooted in the Tarbiyah movement. Unlike well established Islamic movements in Indonesia that harness global computer networks to strengthen their influence, ODOJ has been dependant on technology since its inception. It demonstrates the capacity of technology in generating and crafting this new semi-virtual socio-religious movement. ODOJ has painted new colour onto the contemporary Islamic public and its presence is imperative to understanding the transformation of the religious media-scape in Indonesia.

The article analyses internet usage by Indonesian face-veiled women ( cadari). Such women desire to return to a true Islam, and are often understood by mainstream Muslims as oppressed. Taking advantage of the freedom of speech that has emerged in Indonesia’s post-authoritarian period, they use media strategically for their own purposes in ways quite different from those motivating the internet habits of mainstream Muslims in Indonesia. The article analyses how the women create and maintain subcultures through the internet. Specifically, it focuses on the mailing list of one group of Salafi women, and a virtual business enterprise run by a cadari. While the existing literature tends to emphasize those aspects of the internet that can contribute to the creation of civil society, the internet has enabled cadari to fashion differing trajectories compatible with their subcultures.

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