A Semiotic Analysis of Textual Meaning in Indonesian Digital Demonstration Posters on Twitter (X)

Annisa Sukma Melati, Alfelia Nugky Permatasari, S.S., M.A.

2026 | Tugas Akhir | D4 BAHASA INGGRIS

Seiring perkembangan teknologi, media sosial telah menjadi ruang penting bagi komunikasi publik, di mana kampanye sosial dan aksi unjuk rasa digital sering kali diekspresikan melalui pesan tertulis singkat. Di platform seperti Twitter (X), poster kampanye mengandalkan teks singkat, slogan, dan tagar untuk menyampaikan gagasan serta membentuk pemahaman publik terhadap isu-isu sosial. Dalam konteks ini, bahasa tidak hanya berfungsi sebagai sarana penyampaian informasi, tetapi juga sebagai sistem tanda yang memuat makna sosial dan ideologis. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji bagaimana makna teks dibangun dalam poster kampanye digital di Indonesia yang dibagikan di Twitter (X). Dengan menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif deskriptif, penelitian ini menerapkan kerangka semiotik Barthes (1972) untuk menganalisis tanda-tanda teks pada tingkat denotasi, konotasi, dan mitos. Data terdiri dari poster demonstrasi terpilih yang dikumpulkan melalui purposive sampling berdasarkan kriteria yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya, dengan fokus pada elemen teks yang jelas. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa, pada tingkat denotatif, teks-teks tersebut disajikan secara jelas dan terstruktur melalui fitur-fitur seperti ungkapan imperatif, slogan bilingual, objek literal atau tindakan sehari-hari, dan tanda digital. Pada tingkat konotatif, teks tersebut mencerminkan nilai-nilai sosial, termasuk solidaritas, tanggung jawab kolektif, pemberdayaan, frustrasi politik, dan partisipasi. Pada tingkat mitos, makna ini berkembang menjadi keyakinan ideologis yang lebih luas, di mana lembaga politik dipandang sebagai sesuatu yang bermasalah, perlawanan dianggap sebagai kewajiban moral, dan perubahan sistematis dipandang sebagai sesuatu yang perlu. Temuan ini menyoroti peran bahasa dalam membentuk makna serta memperkuat nilai sosial dan asumsi ideologis dalam wacana protes digital, sekaligus memberikan kontribusi bagi studi semiotika dalam linguistik terapan.

In recent years, alongside technological advancements, especially in the way people communicate over the years, social media has become one of the platforms used in social communication where it no longer becomes only as an active tool for people to communicate across the globe. Instead, it has also developed as a tool where social campaigns and digital demonstrations are often expressed through short written messages. In the case of social media named X formerly known as Twitter, which is a platform that heavily relies on quick-consumption, people tend to use campaign posters that rely on brief texts, slogans, and hashtags to communicate ideas and shape public understanding of social issues quickly and easy to understand by the wide variety of the audience. In this context, language functions not only as a media of information but also as a system of signs that carries social and ideological meanings. This study aims to examine how textual meaning is constructed in Indonesian digital campaign posters shared on Twitter (X). The study uses qualitative-descriptive based analytical research that uses Barthes' (1972) semiotic theoretical framework to understand the meaning and the making process at the levels of denotation, connotation, and myth. The data consist of selected protest posters collected through purposive sampling based on predetermined criteria focusing on the presence of clear textual elements. The findings show that, at the denotative level, the texts are presented in a clear and structured way through features such as imperative expressions, bilingual slogans, literal objects or everyday actions, and digital signs. At the connotative level, the texts reflect social values, including solidarity, collective responsibility, empowerment, political frustration, and participation. At the level of myth, these meanings develop into broader ideological beliefs, where political institutions are seen as problematic, resistance is constructed as a moral obligation, systematic change is framed as necessary, and self-reliance is naturalized. These findings emphasize the role of language in shaping meanings, reinforcing social values and ideological assumptions in digital protest settings, while contributing to semiotic studies in applied linguistics.

Kata Kunci : Demonstration, Semiotics, Social Media, Textual Analysis, Twitter X