The Construction of Religious Tolerance in Digital Media: A Discourse Analysis of the Log In YouTube Podcast in Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines how religious tolerance is represented and constructed in digital media through the YouTube podcast Log In, focusing on episode 27 entitled “How Far Does Your Tolerance Go??!!”. The research is situated within the growing role of social media as a digital public sphere for religious discourse in pluralistic societies such as Indonesia, where online platforms increasingly mediate interfaith interaction and the negotiation of difference. This study is important in light of the proliferation of provocative and polarising religious content online, which threatens social cohesion, while dialogical digital content offers alternative narratives of tolerance and mutual respect. This research employs a qualitative design using discourse analysis and audience response analysis. Primary data consist of audiovisual material from the selected podcast episode, while secondary data are drawn from a purposive sample of audience comments on YouTube. Data were collected through repeated observation, transcription, and documentation, and analysed thematically to identify dominant tolerance narratives, dialogical strategies, and audience response patterns. The findings show that religious tolerance is constructed through non-coercive dialogue, interfaith sympathy, and the strategic use of humour as a communicative approach. Tolerance is framed not as passive acceptance, but as an active ethical commitment grounded in human dignity and freedom of belief. Audience responses demonstrate a predominance of positive reactions from viewers of diverse religious backgrounds, indicating that inclusive and non-confrontational communication resonates strongly in digital religious spaces and contributes to reducing polarisation. The study contributes to digital religion and religious communication scholarship by highlighting the role of interactive audiovisual dialogue as an effective form of informal digital religious education. Its originality lies in integrating discourse analysis with audience engagement to advance the concept of digital moral narratives within the framework of digital religious pluralism.