Digital Dakwah of Pesantren: Virtual Ethnography Study on Instagram Account LIMOFFICIAL_LIRBOYO and Youtube Account LIM Production

Abstract

Dakwah pesantren has transformed into a digital platform as a medium of dakwah and netizens as objects of dakwah. LIM (Ittihadul Muballigin Institution) Lirboyo, who initiated the LIM Production Youtube platform and the limofficial_lirboyo Instagram account is one of them. This study aims to provide an understanding of what dakwah content is uploaded by LIM in Instagram and Youtube accounts; what are the motives behind the creation of the two digital platforms as propaganda media; and how Islamic boarding school values ​​are embedded in the content of the two digital platforms. This study uses a virtual ethnographic approach, descriptive-qualitative analysis method, as well as observation and interviews as data collection techniques. The results of the study showed, first, that LIM Production's youtube content included podcasts, Islamic tutorials, Q&A, LIM Pedia, LIM Dacil, and Kultum Ramadan (Ramadan’s seven minutes lecture). Meanwhile, limofficial_lirboyo's Instagram contents consisted of snippets of Youtube content, microblog, IG TV, and Question and Answer (Q&A). Second, the motives for making the two digital platforms accounts were the limitations of the Lirboyo Pesantren’s (Islamic boarding school) dakwah media during the pandemic, the digital dakwah platform was controlled by less qualified preachers, and the mandate of the LIM leadership to expand dakwah to digital media.

Third, the values ​​of Islamic boarding schools in the dakwah content of limofficial_lirboyo and LIM Production were in the form of moderate principles and the understanding of ahlussunnah wa al-jama'ah, which was the identity of Pesantren Lirboyo.