OF INSTAGRAM, INFLUENCERS AND POPULAR CULTURE: EXPLORING ISLAM ON NEW MEDIA FOR SINGAPOREAN FEMALE UNDERGRADUATES

Abstract

With globalisation, new media has become an important force in shaping how Muslims around the world practice Islam. Throughout the world, new media has provided youths with the abilities to understand and engage with Islam in new and important ways. It also allowed more figures to enter the religious scene, shaping how youths perceive and acquire religious knowledge. This thesis aims to explore how new media has impacted the ways in which female youths in Singapore has engaged with Islam. Through an online survey and in-depth interviews, it aims to reveal the aspirations and experiences of these youths with regards to religious knowledge acquisition. It will also seek to ascertain whether there is a shift in the nature of Islamic content acquired and whether new media has brought new understandings in the idea of religious authority for these youths.