Algorithmic Religiosity: Religious Influencer Conversations on Indonesian Short-Video Platforms

Abstract

Religious content often appears on social media platforms through recom­mendati­on patterns that surface similar material beyond deliberate search. While studies on digital religion have examined mediated authority, AI-assisted practices, and platform interaction, limited attention has been given to how influencer conversations are com­pressed, replicated, and repeatedly resurfaced across short-video environments. This study examines how religious narratives are constructed within conversations and how recom­mendation environments shape their visibility. Focusing on Indonesian social media, it observes circulation patterns across YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok. The ana­lysis maps narrative forms, traces cross-platform appearances, and treats recom­mended appearances as indications of how platform features guide religious circulation. The findings show that recurring exposure emerges through clipping, reuploading, and replication that attach moral narratives to recognizable figures. To describe this condition, the study develops algorithmic religiosity as repeated platform visibility that stabilizes religious authority, moral recognition, and everyday encounters with religious guidance within feeds.