This paper examines the transformation of religious authority and gender performativity in the digital era by observing the Nawaning (daughters of clerics/Kiai) from Indonesia’s pesantren (Islamic boarding school) tradition. In the contemporary digital landscape, piety is no longer merely an internal spiritual practice; rather, it has become a performative phenomenon curated for public consumption. Using a qualitative digital ethnographic method through a postfeminist lens, this study analyzes how the Nawaning navigate the tension between their inherited traditional authority and the neoliberal demands of social media platforms. The analysis focuses on their Instagram activity, ranging from the curation of visual aesthetics—linking piety with entrepreneurship—to their engagement with popular culture. The findings indicate that the Nawaning perform a "paradoxical reconciliation," maintaining pesantren etiquette (adab) while simultaneously submitting to the "desires" of the Instagram algorithm. This study argues that their digital presence serves as a form of postfeminist agency, where self-actualization, economic independence, and professional personal branding are framed as integral parts of modern female Islamic representation. Through what is termed "dancing with the algorithm," they engage in "visibility labor" to ensure their traditional authority remains relevant in a competitive digital market. This research contributes to the discourse on digital religion by demonstrating that traditional authority is not eroded by technology, but rather undergoes hybridization. The "Modern Ning" persona emerges as a strategic negotiation where the sacred and the profane, as well as tradition and neoliberalism, merge seamlessly. Ultimately, this study elucidates that digital religious authority in Indonesia is determined by experiential legitimacy and visual connectivity, marking a significant shift in how religious influence is constructed and maintained among the Muslim middle class.

Khoniq Nur Afiah is a lecturer at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Lampung and a PhD student in Islamic Studies at the State Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta. Having earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the same institution, her academic journey has been consistently rooted in Gender and Islamic Studies. Her earlier research extensively examined the role of female Islamic scholars (ulama perempuan) in Indonesia, which laid the foundation for her current doctoral work. Her present research explores the intersection of Muslim women’s identity, digital authority, and social media landscapes. Alongside her academic work, she is also a writer for online media platforms such as Mubadalah.id and Neswa.id, focusing on women's issues.