Factors that Determine Awareness Towards Shari’ah-Compliant Social Media

Abstract

Purpose of the study: As social media becomes an important part of our lives, awareness of Shari’ah-compliant social media is still up to debate, particularly on the factors that contributed to it. This paper aims to test the factors that determine the awareness of Shari’ah-compliant social media with gender, age, employment, religion and educational background. Methodology: To achieve this objective, a quantitative approach was employed. Using a questionnaire as an instrument, 165 responses were gathered by simple random sampling technique. Main Findings: The findings indicated a significant level of awareness regarding Shari’ah-compliant social media among Social Media users in Brunei, where religion and educational background were found to be the leading factors contributing to it. Application of this study: As the study focused on the interdisciplinary of social media usage and Shari’ah principle, its findings are relevant to policymakers, educators and related agencies. Novelty/ Originality of this study: This study distinctively highlights religion and educational background as the primary factors influencing awareness of Shari’ah-compliant social media. This strengthens existing knowledge on the vital role of religion and education in one’s life in shaping better usage of social media, as well as future studies, particularly in the interdisciplinary fields of technology and Islamic studies.