Halal Technocracy and Certification Governing: Social Media as Platform for Knowledge Dissemination
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Abstract
In pursuit of efficient governance, the Brunei Government adopted e-government systems in the early 2000s, later formalising its digital transformation through the Brunei Darussalam Digital Economy Blueprint 2020. This shift coincided with increased internet accessibility and the emergence of a smartphone-equipped generation that integrates digital media into everyday life. Against this backdrop, this study explores the role of social media in disseminating halal knowledge and governance, applying an Islamised Foucauldian governmentality theoretical framework. We analysed the typologies of halal information shared by Brunei’s Halal Food Control Division (HFCD) across social media platforms between 2011 and 2018, targeting diverse audience segments. Our findings reveal a nuanced spectrum: significant knowledge asymmetries emerged from the dissemination of impractical or irrelevant information, prompting critical reflection on the nature of “good” information. However, only limited evidence of halal knowledge co-creation and codifiable knowledge transfer was observed. We conclude that the effective deployment of social media for halal governance hinges on the distribution of contextually appropriate information, yet this remains constrained by the limited social and digital reflexivity of governing certification bodies.
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