Social Media and the Reputation Crisis of Pesantren: Nahdlatul Ulama's Challenge in Sustaining Public Trust

Abstract

This study examines how public opinion about pesantren is constructed on social media and analyzes the communication challenges faced by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in sustaining public trust in the digital age. The rapid expansion of social media has transformed digital platforms into key arenas in which public perceptions of religious institutions are produced and contested. Viral incidents, particularly cases involving sexual violence in pesantren settings, have generated negative narratives that circulate rapidly across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Such circulation can extend the meaning of an individual case to pesantren as a broader category of Islamic educational institution, thereby weakening social legitimacy and public trust. This study employs a descriptive qualitative design based on digital document analysis. Data comprise social media posts, comments, videos, captions, and user responses concerning pesantren and NU. The material was systematically inventoried, categorized, and interpreted to identify recurring patterns in the construction of public opinion. The findings show that emotionally charged, highly viral, and generalized narratives can transform individual incidents into collective stigma toward pesantren, a process intensified by negative framing and limited digital literacy. In addition, the conventional communication practices of pesantren and NU often fail to match the speed and dynamics of digital information flows. The study therefore highlights the need for NU to strengthen official digital communication, improve information transparency, respond promptly to emerging issues, and amplify credible, evidence-based narratives about the social and educational contributions of pesantren. The study contributes to understanding how individual incidents are socially constructed and amplified through digital interaction into collective stigma that affects the reputation and public trust of both pesantren and Nahdlatul Ulama.