Between Scrolling and Prostration: A Phenomenological Study of Cognitive Dissonance among MTs Miftahul Ulum Students Engaging with Religious Content on Social Media

Abstract

Social media has transformed how madrasah students encounter religious knowledge and can expose them to messages that differ from classroom instruction. This study examines students’ experiences of accessing religious content, the forms of cognitive dissonance that emerge, and the role of teachers and the madrasah environment in mediating conflicting understandings. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed at MTs Miftahul Ulum Tunggak Cerme. Informants included the madrasah principal, Islamic Religious Education (PAI) teachers, a Guidance and Counseling (BK) teacher, and six purposively selected students representing variation in social-media exposure and experience with religious content. Data were generated through semi-structured in-depth interviews, non-participant observation, and documentation and analyzed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña interactive model in combination with phenomenological meaning units and experiential themes. The findings show that students encounter confusion, doubt, authority conflict, adjustment of understanding, and efforts to seek certainty when digital religious messages differ from madrasah-based learning. In this article, “prostration” is used as an analytical symbol for the orientation toward reflective appreciation and practice of religious values; it is not treated as a directly observed measure of internalization. Teacher and madrasah mediation was reported through clarification, source evaluation, religious learning, counseling-oriented guidance, and habituation, while students described comparing sources and seeking clarification when uncertainty arose. These findings underscore the importance of digital religious literacy and critical thinking in quality, values-based education and are relevant to Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).