Management of Online and Offline Identity in Multireligious Society

Abstract

As a multicultural nation Indonesia has various numbers of ethnicity, language, culture and religion in it. The diversity sometimes causes several dynamics in social life including horizontal conflict which one of the reasons behind it is the difference of identity in terms of religion. Religion issue becomes one sensitive issue for plural society which potentially creates 'disunity' both in online and the offline spheres. That issue is not separated from the convinience of using social media. The purpose of this research is to potray the reality that really occurs in online and offline spaces related to identity management in multireligious interaction. What was meant by online space is related to social media literacy, namely observing the dynamics of interaction on religious issues. Whereas in the offline space, this research illustrates the interactions that occur in the management of multireligious identity in the community of Wiloso Hamlet, Girikarto Village, Panggang District, Gunungkidul Regency, Yogyakarta. The used type for this research is qualitative with the phenomenology approach, the theory that was used is the identity management theory. The data collection was carried out through obervation and in-depth interviews also study of various literature. The result of the research shows that social media has the connection to the emergence of conflict regarding differences in religious identity, especially on political momentum. Whereas in the offline realm, religious harmony can be harmoniously established because differences are not seen as differences but are interpreted as wealth in a plural nation.