Virtual religious conflict: From cyberspace to reality

Abstract

Freedom of expression on social media is sometimes carried out unethically and often undermines religious symbols, resulting in friction and destructive actions. This research was conducted with the aim of knowing the polarisation of religious conflict in cyberspace and the process of diffusion of religious conflict from the virtual world to the real world. This type of research is descriptive qualitative. This research was conducted in Central Java, namely, in the cities of Solo and Semarang. The results of the study show that the process of diffusion of religious conflict from the virtual world to the real world occurs through the stages of information sharing and conflict initiation, equalisation of perceptions, virtual community support, virtual action and real action. Therefore, to anticipate virtual conflicts, it is necessary to have filters from authorised authorities such as administrators, website managers or law enforcement officials. In addition, there needs to be regulatory support related to provocation in cyberspace, so as to minimise the emergence of conflicts in cyberspace.

Contribution: This research contributes to anticipating virtual conflicts before they actually occur.