Muslim, Media, and Scientific Spirit

From at least, 19th century to the mid of 20th century, there is no tremendous scientific spirit among Muslim societies to cope with the problems of the age. No profound usage of Media of the Time, let say telegraph or postal line, to enhance the scientific work from Muslim society. This was due to their need to recover themself from the colonial effect the Europeans left, ideologically and politically.

Entering the late 20th century, when technology has grown at an incomparable pace than before, many Muslim societies became susceptible to drown as the object of globalization. But, unfortunately, modernization turns Muslims to be more consumerists. Sociologically speaking, it stems from the increasing rate of industrialization and economic improvements, followed by the rising tides of the Muslim middle-class.

It took place while television, as the Technology of the Age, occupied the global audience. However, television is entirely in contrast to paper in its character. Paper supports well-composed, long, and rigorous arguments or explanations, which made knowledge-management skills became the character of society. Television is more fragmented, snappy, and incoherent in its content. Subsequently, television leads to―of what cultural critics said―the trivialization of the mind. Our cognitive ability is more delighted with the purposeless information than the rigour or the essential one.

In the modern-day late 20th century, consumerism and television successfully stripped away scientific curiosity from Muslim society, which made us more intense on consuming, debating, or competing for religious products than humanitarian or universal ones. Spirit of partisanship, spike. And it is pass-through to the digital age.

Since the beginning of the digital age, we have witnessed eerie hate speech, demagoguery, grumpy mass-mob, fact-spin, and many other nefarious deeds polluting our religious discourse online. It is, however, inseparable from the absence of scientific curiosity and our hyper-enthusiast on the narrative of The Great Beyond articulated by the black-market preacher―those who are coming from instant learning.