RELIGIUSITAS SEMU, PRIVATISASI AGAMA, DAN TANTANGAN HUMANIORA DIGITAL DALAM LITERASI KEAGAMAAN MASYARAKAT CERDAS

Abstract

Smart society is characterized by a strong dependence on internet technology in various aspects of life, including religion. Religious content in the digital space is consumed massively and gives rise to diverse, even paradoxical, meanings. Simulation, simulacra, and religious hyperreality are inevitable and difficult to avoid because digital content not only prioritizes substance, but also expression that can provide a narcotic effect. The logical consequence is that society as consumers of digital religion will be faced with pseudo-religiosity that challenges the competence of each individual to interpret it. This meaning determines the religious knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of each individual so that the privatization of religion becomes an inevitable consequence in the digital religious field. The strengthening of the privatization of religion is transforming digital space into a medium for religious literacy that provides freedom of space to its users to choose, mix, and determine the religious model that is considered most appropriate to their individual needs, desires, and interests. Pseudo- religiosity and the privatization of religion certainly have a broad impact on the religious dynamics of digital society, such as religion starting to lose its public significance, the prophecy and cultification of religious figures, the polarization of religious groups, and the increasing escalation of religious debates that are apologetic and mutually destructive. These various negative impressions challenge the role of digital humanities in building authentic religious literacy by combining textual, contextual, and technological aspects in order to strengthen universal human values.