Tumiarti Teknologi Digital dan Transformasi Moralitas: Tantangan Etika Masyarakat Muslim di Era Digital

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technology has brought about profound structural transformations in human life, extending beyond technical dimensions to encompass cultural, ethical, and spiritual domains. Within Muslim communities, digitalization has significantly influenced patterns of religious practice, moral formation, and ethical conduct in both private and public spheres. This article critically examines how digital technology shapes Muslim morality through changes in individual behavior, access to religious information, socio-religious communication, and emerging ethical challenges in online interactions. Employing a qualitative literature review methodology, this study synthesizes relevant scholarly works to map the ambivalent impacts of digitalization. On the one hand, digital technology facilitates the democratization of Islamic knowledge, expands the reach of digital da‘wah across geographical and social boundaries, and enhances religious engagement through online platforms. On the other hand, it also generates significant ethical concerns, including moral degradation driven by the normalization of unethical behavior, exposure to content inconsistent with Islamic values, religious misinformation, and the weakening of self-regulation due to instant culture and hyperconnectivity. This analysis integrates core principles of Islamic ethics—such as moral responsibility (mas’uliyyah), self-discipline (mujāhadat al-nafs), justice (‘adl), and wisdom (ḥikmah)—with contemporary digital practices to propose an ethically grounded framework of digital literacy for Muslim communities. The study concludes that while digital technology is morally neutral in essence, it can serve as a means of moral and religious enhancement when guided by Islamic values; however, it poses serious ethical risks when utilized without sufficient religious awareness and ethical discernment.