Navigating Cyber Algorithms: Media Transformation and the Epistemological Challenges of Nahdlatul Ulama's Digital Da'wah

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The development of information technology has shifted religious authority from conventional cultural spaces to a fluid, open, and decentralized digital sphere, while simultaneously transforming the production, distribution, and consumption of religious messages. This study aims to analyze the mediatization of Nahdlatul Ulama’s da‘wah through changes in media, message forms, communication patterns, and religious authority, as well as to examine NU’s strategies for adapting its da‘wah to the logic of social media algorithms without compromising scholarly authority and the values of Islam wasathiyah. This study employs a descriptive qualitative approach based on a literature review and critical discourse analysis of scholarly articles, books, institutional documents, and content published through NU’s official digital media. The findings indicate that the transformation of NU’s da‘wah extends beyond the digitalization of communication channels and encompasses institutional, communicative, and epistemological changes, marked by a shift from formal and one-way preaching toward content that is more visual, concise, interactive, and adaptive to platform characteristics. NU has also responded to algorithmic dominance and the contestation of conservative narratives by repackaging religious messages, adopting more accessible language, and strengthening the narratives of Aswaja An-Nahdliyah and Islam wasathiyah. The study concludes that the success of NU’s digital da‘wah depends on its ability to integrate technological innovation with the depth of scholarly transmission, pesantren-based authority, and the substantive accuracy of religious teachings. This study contributes to strengthening the application of the theory of the mediatization of religion in the context of a traditional Islamic organization and to formulating a strategic direction for digital da‘wah that is data-driven, ethical, inclusive, and firmly rooted in NU’s scholarly tradition.