Interpreting "Takjil War" as a heterotopia of discourse battle: Symbolic conflict in the virtual space of Ramadan

Yuka Dian Narendra, Soekma Yeni Astuti, Afina Murtiningrum

Abstract


This research focuses on analyzing the phenomenon of the "Takjil War" as a form of digital conflict emerging on Indonesian social media during Ramadan in 2024 and 2025. The analysis shows that online discussions regarding takjil (iftar snacks) transcend culinary issues and reflect a complex struggle for meaning and a battle over social practices. This inter-netizen dialogue depicts a fluid interfaith encounter and reveals culinary narratives that cross class and religious boundaries. By employing a critical netnographic approach and multimodal discourse analysis, this study unravels the layers of symbolic conflict behind the narrative of religious harmony and the consumption of religiosity in digital space. In-depth analysis was conducted on three main dimensions: the practice of "performative piety" on social media; the narrative of "Takjil War" as an "interfaith heterotopia" and how this phenomenon is interpreted by netizens from various religious backgrounds. In conclusion, the "Takjil War" is a heterotopia where contemporary Islamic identity is commodified and subdued by the algorithmic logic of the digital economy. This study contributes to digital cultural studies by offering an analytical framework for interpreting socio-religious phenomena reinforced by social media platforms, while also reflecting on the transformation of the meaning of interfaith harmony in the Indonesian consumer society. 

Keywords: Takjil war, critical netnography, symbolic conflict, heterotopia 


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