Youtube and The Social Construction of Religious Understanding Among Generation Z Female Students at UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh

Abstract

YouTube has become an increasingly accessible source of religious knowledge among Generation Z, raising questions about how digital religious content is incorporated into existing practices of Islamic learning. This study examines the role of YouTube in the social construction of religious understanding among Generation Z female students at UIN Ar-Raniry Banda Aceh. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with nine purposively selected female students and analyzed through data reduction, thematic categorization, and interpretation using Berger and Luckmann’s social construction framework. The findings reveal that YouTube serves primarily as a complementary source of religious learning alongside university education and religious study circles (pengajian). Three interconnected processes characterize students’ engagement with religious content. Externalization is reflected in their active searching, selection, and sharing of religious videos. Objectivation is reflected in the recognition and evaluation of religious authority through scholarly credentials, religious arguments, and established Islamic learning traditions. Internalization is evident in participants’ accounts of broadened religious perspectives and efforts to apply religious values in everyday life. These processes show that students do not simply adopt digital religious messages but interpret them through existing frameworks of religious knowledge and authority. This study contributes to understanding how digital religious learning interacts with established Islamic educational traditions in Aceh and highlights the significance of critical digital religious literacy in higher education.