Author Information
Muhammad Nauris Firdaus, The University of Melbourne, AustraliaYulia Mega Puspita, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Abstract
The digital landscape, particularly social media platforms, has developed from its initial function as a tool for interpersonal connectivity to resisting political discourse, where digital artworks are used to challenge state-imposed legal reforms. This research analyzes this shift through the lens of public resistance to the Draft Law on the Indonesian National Army (RUU TNI), specifically exploring the use of digital artworks with the hashtag #TolakRUUTNI on platform X as an instrument of collective Indonesian resistance movements. This research aims to examine the representation of resistance through digital art against state authority through Roland Barthes’ semiotic analysis, which includes three levels of meaning: denotation, connotation, and myth. At the denotative level, the dominant visual themes include resistance to authority, the use of cartoon characters, animal symbolism, and textual elements in the artworks. Connotatively, these visuals function as a form of collective expression that shows resistance to power, criticism of state intimidation, and solidarity depicted through popular fictional characters. Mythologically, these artworks construct a narrative that positions civilians as heroic figures who fight militaristic authoritarianism, while describing the state as a repressive entity that echoes the power dynamics of the New Order era, particularly the military’s dual function in both civil and political domains. Beyond serving aesthetic purposes, the digital artworks in this movement become a medium for generating resistance discourse, reshaping political engagement, and building solidarity among Indonesians through the X platform.
Paper Information
Conference: KAMC2025Stream: Media Studies
This paper is part of the KAMC2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Firdaus M., & Puspita Y. (2026) From Hashtags to Symbols: Reading Protest Through a Semiotic Analysis of Digital Resistance in #TolakRUUTNI Movement on X ISSN: 2436-0503 – The Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 93-102) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.10
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.10
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