A Study of Salafi Da'wah Reception on YouTube by Generation Z

Authors

  • Annis Azhar Suryaningtyas Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang, Indonesia; Jl. Mayjend. Bambang Soegeng, Mertoyudan, Magelang 56172
  • Vinisa Nurul Aisyah Simon Fraser University (SFU), Canada; University Drive Burnaby, B.C. Canada. V5A 1S6
  • Putri Damayanti Universitas Muhammadiyah Magelang, Indonesia; Jl. Mayjend. Bambang Soegeng, Mertoyudan, Magelang 56172

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21111/ettisal.v11i2.105

Keywords:

Digital Salafism, Audience Reception Theory, Generation Z, YouTube Da'wah, Khalid Basalamah, Islamic Communication

Abstract

Digital media has increasingly facilitated the spread of Salafi da’wah, enabling traditionalist conservative discourses to reach broader and younger demographics. Despite persistent socio-religious stigmas surrounding Salafism, its digital outreach has gained significant traction among Generation Z. Drawing on Stuart Hall’s Encoding/Decoding model, this study investigates how Gen Z audiences interpret and negotiate digital Salafi preaching, focusing on Ustadz Khalid Basalamah’s YouTube series on Major Sins (Dosa-Dosa Besar). Employing a qualitative reception approach, data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 11 Gen Z viewers (born 1997–2012) selected via purposive sampling, complemented by textual and visual observations of the five most-viewed videos in the series. The findings reveal two primary audience reception positions: (1) Dominant-Hegemonic (8 informants), driven by high perception of the preacher’s authority, strict adherence to textual sources (Qur’an and Hadith), and the accessibility of YouTube features (playlists, live streams, and short clips); and (2) Negotiated (3 informants), shaped by critical cross-referencing with alternative religious scholars, independent textual verification, and resistance to treating a single penceramah as an absolute authority. Notably, no informants occupied an oppositional reading position. This study demonstrates that digital Salafi da'wah successfully bridges conservative theology and youth culture through perceived textual authenticity and algorithmic media optimization.

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Submitted

2026-06-17

Accepted

2026-10-25

Published

2026-10-28

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2026): Ettisal : Journal of Communication

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Annis Azhar Suryaningtyas, Vinisa Nurul Aisyah, Putri Damayanti

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