KOMUNITAS VIRTUAL KEAGAMAAN: PENDISIPLINAN BERAGAMA DI ERA DIGITAL

Abstract

Every technology will bring its own culture. This also happened to the internet and digital technology. Internet has penetratedall aspects of life including religion. Nowadays, we can find any information of any religion in the internet (religion online), even the internet has became the locus for religious ritual itself (online religion). The online religion phenomena is also found a lot in Indoesia since One Day One Juz (ODOJ) community launched, which followed by another religion communities like Komunitas Tahajjud Berantai (KUTUB), komunitas puasa ummat (KOPPUSAT), komunitas matsurat (KOMA) etc. There were a lot of controversies around those communites. So, by using ethnographic method, this research conduct with the aims to gain comprehensive understanding from native standpoint. ODOJ and KUTUB choosedas research subjects with consideration that both of them are the pioneer in virtual religious communities in Indonesia. The researcher is also take a part in the field of research by joining the communities. The results shows that religious virtual communities can serve as a panopticon for its member. In general they consciously join in the communities to look for “coersive” situationso that they can istiqomah (discipline and consisten) in readingAl Quran and doing qiyamul lail. Becoming a member of community is not easy. They have to strengthen their intention that anything done is because of Allah.

Key words: Religious Community, Self Disciplinary, Virtual