The Commodification of Piety in the Algorithmic Age: A Normative-Theological Analysis of Monetized Spiritual Practices on TikTok

Abstract

Digital transformation has shifted expressions of piety into market-oriented algorithmic logic, giving rise to the commodification of religion. This article analyzes the practice of spiritual monetization on the TikTok account @umizahra.asmara, which offers paid “spiritual services” with the legitimacy of religious symbols. This study uses virtual netnography to trace patterns of interaction, narratives of piety, and digital transaction mechanisms, as well as a normative-theological approach to hadith to assess the religious validity of these practices. The findings show the integration of three dimensions of commodification—material, symbolic, and digital—in which sacred texts and prayer practices are reduced to instruments of economic legitimacy. Analysis of the Quranic verse and Hadith narrated by Abū Dāwud No. 3664 reveals that these practices constitute a form of theological deviation: the exploitation of religious knowledge for worldly gain. This phenomenon marks an ontological shift from preaching as a practice of worship to a symbolic religious economy that has the potential to exploit the audience’s psychological vulnerability. This study emphasizes the urgency of reconstructing the ethics of preaching and strengthening Muslims’ critical literacy in the digital age.