The Social Construction of Islamic Peace Narratives on Social Media Study of Duta Damai West Java

Although various initiatives have promoted alternative narratives of peace and religious moderation, limited studies have examined how Islamic peace narratives are socially constructed, legitimized, and negotiated within digital environments. This study aims to analyze the construction of Islamic peace narratives on social media through the processes of externalization, objectification, and internalization by focusing on the activities of Duta Damai West Java. The study employs a qualitative approach using digital content analysis. Data were collected through the observation and documentation of social media content, visual materials, hashtags, and audience interactions. The findings demonstrate that Duta Damai West Java externalizes Islamic peace values by translating them into contextual and youth-oriented digital communication. These narratives subsequently undergo objectification through symbolic legitimation, the reproduction of collective identities, and their integration into broader digital networks. At the audience level, the findings indicate that peace narratives are not simply accepted but are interpreted, negotiated, evaluated, and sometimes questioned through various forms of engagement. These findings suggest that social media functions not merely as a communication platform but also as a social arena where religious meanings are continuously constructed and negotiated. The study contributes to the development of social construction theory in the context of digital religious communication and highlights the strategic role of youth-based communities in promoting peace narratives and countering radicalism in contemporary digital society.