Online Radicalization and the Crisis of Social Literacy among Students: A Case Study of the SMAN 72 Explosion from a Social Science Perspective

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technology that is not accompanied by adequate social literacy skills has led to serious consequences for the social behavior of young people. This study aims to analyze the relationship between exposure to online radicalism and the crisis of social literacy among students, using the explosion incident at SMAN 72 Jakarta as a case study. The research employs a descriptive-analytical qualitative approach with a critical discourse analysis (CDA) strategy, drawing on secondary data from news articles, policy documents, social media posts, and scholarly literature. The study adapts the Miles and Huberman model, which is further refined by adding stages of contextualization and ideological interpretation. The findings indicate that the process of digital radicalization unfolds in three stages: exposure (contact with extremist content through social media), internalization (acceptance of radical values driven by a crisis of social identity), and action framing (justification of extreme behavior through religious or moral narratives). The crisis of social literacy accelerates this process, as students lose the ability to critically interpret social contexts. From the perspective of Social Studies education, this phenomenon calls for a transformation of the learning paradigm, from a focus on knowledge transmission toward the cultivation of reflective social awareness that is responsive to the dynamics of the digital era.