Kajian Online sebagai Praktik Budaya Digital: Analisis Fear of Missing Out dalam Pembentukan Habitus Religius Generasi Z

Abstract

The transformation of digital culture has fundamentally reshaped the religious practices of Generation Z, shifting Islamic learning from physical settings to digital platforms. Amid the pervasive use of social media, Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) has evolved beyond a psychological response to missing information into a cultural mechanism that influences how individuals access, consume, and interpret religious content. This study examines the role of FoMO in shaping the religious habitus of Generation Z through participation in online Islamic learning as a form of digital cultural practice. Employing a qualitative approach with a digital ethnography design, the research integrates in-depth interviews, participant observation within online Islamic study communities, and documentary analysis of da'wah content across social media platforms. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis through systematic processes of data reduction, categorization, interpretation, and source triangulation. The findings reveal that FoMO operates as a cultural mechanism encouraging continuous engagement with online Islamic learning, driven by platform algorithms, an always-connected culture, and the pursuit of recognition within digital Muslim communities. Sustained participation gradually cultivates a new religious habitus characterized by routine attendance in online religious studies, dissemination of da'wah content, construction of digital religious identities, and reproduction of Islamic values across social media. These findings demonstrate that online Islamic learning has evolved beyond a medium for religious knowledge transmission into a digital cultural practice that shapes religious dispositions, social identities, and patterns of religiosity among Generation Z. This study contributes theoretically by integrating the concepts of FoMO, digital culture, and religious habitus into the contemporary scholarship of Islamic communication and digital da'wah.