SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MEANS OF INCREASING RELIGIOUS

TOLERANCE

Andy Litehua
Institut Agama Islam Riyadlotul Mujahidin
Email: litehua1995@gmail.com

Abstract
Indonesia is a plural and heterogeneous nation. Therefore, tolerance between groups, including among
religious people, is an important issue that must always be pursued in order to maintain unity in every
line of Indonesian society. However, the phenomenon that occurs is just the opposite where religion in
fact makes someone to claim the truth of each religion. This is certainly a serious conflict for the
Indonesian people considering that Indonesia is a plural country and should have an understanding of
tolerance. Actually tolerance is not just a concept that must be understood but must be manifested in
attitudes and behavior so that inter-religious harmony will be realized. In the midst of current global
developments, technological sophistication cannot be dammed so that people can easily receive
information from any direction. Responding to this phenomenon, we as a young audience who
basically have an important role in building inter-religious harmony, various efforts are aimed at
maintaining the harmony of the nation's citizens, both in the real world and the virtual world. Access
to the virtual world through the use of social media (medsos) becomes very crucial, because it is
intensively used by all generations. Its characteristics as a personal mass media, make social media
able to reach large audiences. In addition, the breadth of heart and maturity of thought is absolutely
necessary. Because not a few narrow-minded people think of tolerance as an attitude that mixes creed
and states all religions are the same. We hope that the current and future generations have broad and
open insight so that they are able to maintain tolerance for the sake of maintaining the unity, unity and
integrity of the Republic of Indonesia that we love.

Keywords : Social media, Tolerance, Religious