Addressing Digital Religious Polarization: Policy Analysis of Religious Moderation Narratives on Indonesian Government Social Media

Digital religious polarization is becoming more common in Indonesia, threatening social cohesion significantly. The government has started programs to promote religious moderation in response to this trend. However, the efficacy of the government's official narratives disseminated on social media remains ambiguous. This study addresses this deficiency by examining the digital communication practices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) and the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT). This study employs a qualitative methodology, incorporating content and framing analysis of official social media accounts alongside extensive interviews with policymakers and communication experts, to investigate the factors that impede the effectiveness of the state’s top-down communication model in fostering significant public engagement. The findings indicate that the government’s normative, linear, and monologic methodology is incompatible with the interactive and emotional characteristics of the contemporary digital landscape. Conversely, personal, emotive, and testimonial narratives employed by civil society actors are significantly more effective, as they facilitate interpersonal connections. This paper argues that the state’s approach not only represents an antiquated concept of public diplomacy but may also be viewed as a sort of covert authoritarian innovation that stifles popular participation. These findings underscore the imperative for a paradigm change from monologue to dialogue, offering strategic advice for policymakers to cultivate more flexible, participatory, and ultimately more democratic communication tactics.