Ethically Bounded Expression on TikTok among Muslim Generation Z Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21274/dinamika.2026.26.1.68-79Keywords:
TikTok; Muslim youth; digital self-expression; Islamic communication ethics; uses and gratificationsAbstract
TikTok research often separates self-expression, religious identity, and problematic use. This qualitative descriptive study examined how eight Muslim Generation Z undergraduates in an Islamic Communication and Broadcasting program at Universitas Hasyim Asy’ari, Indonesia, negotiated these concerns in everyday TikTok use. Six participants primarily created content and two were dominant viewers; creator roles sometimes overlapped with affiliate selling or product promotion. Preliminary observation occurred from August to October 2025, and interview records were produced from October 2025 to January 2026, supported by field notes and documentation. Iterative cross-case analysis identified four themes: expressive visibility, lightweight relationality, ethical boundary work, and ambivalent utility. Participants used trends, comments, shares, live streams, and short-form storytelling to express identity and sustain social ties. Ethical limits included careful language, nonjudgment, avoidance of hostile exchanges, source checking, and commercial honesty. Only one participant explicitly named Islamic adab; others described comparable limits in broader moral or practical terms. Creators reported confidence, portfolios, work opportunities, and income, while viewers emphasized entertainment and information. Across positions, useful academic content coexisted with compulsive scrolling, lost time, and postponed tasks. The study conceptualizes this pattern as ethically bounded expression: active platform participation constrained by situated ethical judgment, with Islamic adab providing an explicit frame for some participants rather than a uniform motive across the sample.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nazla Divia Afrianty, Muhammad As’ad
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