URBAN MUSLIM YOUTH, PENGAJIAN COMMUNITIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA: FRAGMENTATION OF RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES IN INDONESIA

<p>Departing from the previous thesis which states that the development of communication technology encourages changes in religious practices among Muslim communities in general, this paper seeks to discuss the fragmentation of religious authority among Muslim youth in Indonesia. Through field research with data collection based on interviews, observation and documentation. This research shows that the fragmentation of religious authority among Muslim youth is motivated by the proliferation of pengajian in cities in Indonesia and the use of social media to da’wah messages disseminate.</p>

Analyzing change in network polarization

The growing influence of social media in an era of media fragmentation has amplified concerns of political polarization. Yet relatively few studies have analyzed polarization in user networks over time. This study therefore examines change in network polarization on Twitter during a highly contested general election. Using Twitter’s REST API, user networks of 3000 randomly selected followers of well-known partisan and entertainment-oriented accounts were recorded 17 times in the 7 months leading up to the 2016 general election. Results suggest that partisan users form highly partisan networks on Twitter, while moderate, or less engaged, users continue to mostly avoid politics.

Lifestyle Choices

This chapter examines the expansion of public relations during the 1980s and its elevation within the hierarchy of brand communication during the 1990s. This was a critical time during which the persuasion industries came to the forefront. The brands that enjoyed pre-eminence at the close of the twentieth century were those that could use all forms of brand communication to create one effective and coherent global package. To that end, public relations was to prove one of the most effective vehicles for telling a brand story. This combination of new delivery methods, more compelling output, and extended reach made it possible for the first time to run campaigns targeting new and discrete audiences. Most notable in this regard was a significant increase in activity targeting males and particularly young men aged 16–30. Conversely, as a result of the same media fragmentation, reaching the kind of mass audiences previously achievable became much more difficult.

When Brand Familiarity Breeds Risk: The Curse of Negative Knowledge

In today’s world, knowing more about a brand can make people think worse of it. Rather than helping a brand, increased familiarity can actually add risk. This is a phenomenon referred to as “negative knowledge.” It happens when the more consumers know about a brand, the less they like it. Possible reasons can be that consumers feel embarrassed by the brand, that they have bad brand experiences or learn about them in the media or from friends, or that they dislike a company’s business motives. Once consumers know something about a brand, it is hard for them to “un-know” it. During a time of media fragmentation when all managers are struggling to gain more fame for their brands, it’s critical to realize that brand knowledge comes with a potential dark side. While it’s always wise to avoid brand obscurity, marketers must be ever cognizant that what customers know about a brand really can do more harm than good.