Circular Character of Media: Adat, Modernity, and social media of Baduy Indigenous Religion in Indonesia

This paper examines digital religion through the case of the Baduy, an Indigenous community in Indonesia, to explore how religious traditions shape media practices in the digital age. I argue that Baduy engagement with social media demonstrates what I call the “circular character of media,” a process in which religious communities not only adapt to digital technologies but also influence how outsiders represent them online. Drawing on Giorgio Evolvi’s concept of hypermediated religious spaces, I distinguish between external hypermediation—pressures such as state tourism policies that encourage media use—and internal hypermediation, through which Baduy negotiate media engagement according to Adat, their Indigenous religious framework. Based on analysis of more than fifty social media posts and twenty YouTube channels about the Baduy (2025–2026), the study shows how journalists, tourists, and content creators increasingly follow Baduy rules about representing sacred spaces. This case demonstrates how Indigenous religious authority can shape digital media practices beyond the community itself