MALIKI ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY – UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang held a General Stadium on Wednesday, March 4 2026, at the Auditorium of Building B, Floor 4 Postgraduate. Carrying the theme "Perception Engineering in the Development of Maliki Islamic University Towards 100 Years of Independent Indonesia", this activity presented Irfan Wahid (Gus Ipang) as the main resource person.
In his presentation entitled "Perception Engineering as a Game Changer for Islamic Transformation in the Hyper Digital Era", Gus Ipang emphasized that the future of civilization, including Islamic transformation, is largely determined by how perception is built and managed in the digital space.
He called this moment a happy moment in the month of Ramadan. In a relaxed style, he talked about being a speaker "accompanied by his mother", while inviting the audience to imagine a Golden Indonesia 2045 amidst the leap in generative Artificial Intelligence technology. "We find it difficult to predict changes in just one year, let alone 2045," he said.
According to him, in the digital era, facts are often outweighed by perception. He gave an example of how global issues such as Palestine and the narrative of Islamic unity form a common enemy and common feeling. When these two things come together, differences become irrelevant and public opinion can form very quickly.
Gus Ipang also explained the character of today's netizens: 65% of the audience decides whether to watch or not in the first 3 seconds, A strong hook in the first 5 seconds can increase the viewing duration by up to 70%.
Emotional content is watched more often than non-emotional, Gen Z (18–24 years) averages 8 seconds of focus, millennials 12 seconds, TikTok and YouTube are now the search engines of the younger generation. He touched on the phenomenon of the post-truth era, when the most important thing is no longer whether it is accurate or not, but whether it is in accordance with personal beliefs or not. In this context, he explains the concept of echo chamber, a situation where a person is constantly exposed to information that strengthens his own views due to social media algorithms.
The challenge, said Gus Ipang, is how to shift the negative echo chamber to a positive one. The strategy must be based on data, empathy, and packaging messages that are relevant to the audience. He emphasized that viral issues are not necessarily organic, and hoaxes are often created not just to spread lies, but for the sake of engagement.
However, perception engineering is not manipulation. He explained the three main axes in this approach, namely :
1. External Awareness (X-Axis) Empathy in communication, speaking from the audience's perspective, not the communicator's ego.
2. Internal Awareness (Y Axis) Train yourself not to easily believe, get angry, or draw conclusions without tabayyun; critical of the source and framing of information.
3. Character Maturity (Z Axis) Formation of a person who is not easily provoked, does not thirst for validation, and is calm in conflict.
He emphasized that Islam is a religion of meaning, manners and prudence. Therefore, perception engineering from a philosophical perspective actually brings to life the values of tabayyun, empathy, and collective emotional management in the midst of a hyper digital landscape.
"Communication must not lose its manners," he stressed closing the session.
The General Stadium is a strategic reflection for the academic community in designing steps towards a Golden Indonesia 2045 that digital transformation must go hand in hand with character transformation and maturity of thinking.
Reporter: Amelia Dea Divanda
Photographer: Moh. Nurul Azmi