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Bill Gates Covid-19 Conspiracy in Reddit Memes: a Semiotic Approach

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Bill Gates Covid-19 Conspiracy in Reddit Memes: a Semiotic Approach Al-Tsaqafa: Jurnal Ilmiah Peradaban Islam Vol. 17 No. 2, 2020, 186-194 P-ISSN 0216-5937, E-ISSN 2654-4598 DOI: 10.15575/al-tsaqafa.v17i2.9320 BILL GATES COVID-19 CONSPIRACY IN REDDIT MEMES: A SEMIOTIC APPROACH AZKA SAEFUL HAQ1 , INTAN SITI NUGRAHA1 1Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia [email protected] ABSTRACT Covid-19 as a global issue connects other social variables such as Bill Gates conspiracy issue discussed globally in public (Shalini, 2020). Memes as meaningful entities exist to influence the internet public in facing Bill Gates issue even without rational and empirical inquiry for some particular people that believe in them. Reddit as an easily accessible website shares actively more numerous memes related to Bill Gates conspiracy issue than the other websites. The memes contain cultural values represented by verbal and visual forms to exchange belief and rational arguments.This study is the interpretation data based on qualitative mtethod. Associating particular signifiers to Bill Gates in whole data refers to Bill Gates’ negative track record, past ideas, ambitions, and pace. Several data contain visual and written signifiers that support each other to acquire signified in data such as Bill Gates in virus form who injects an old man. Signifiers reflect predominantly negative associations related to Bill Gates. It explicates negative connotation that exists consistently. Myths that exist represent that Bill Gates’s vaccine as a danger, Bill Gates as a mastermind behind the pandemic, and Bill Gates as an opportunist who concerns about expansion of business to reach vaccine business. Keywords: Bill Gates conspiracy, connotation, COVID-19, memes, myth ABSTRAK Covid-19 sebagai isu global menghubungkan variabel sosial lainnya seperti isu konspirasi Bill Gates yang paling dominan dibahas secara global di ruang publik (Shalini, 2020). Meme sebagai entitas bermakna hadir untuk mempengaruhi publik internet dalam menghadapi isu Bill Gates, bahkan tanpa penyelidikan rasional dan empiris bagi sebagian orang tertentu yang mempercayainya. Reddit sebagai website yang mudah diakses secara aktif membagikan lebih banyak meme terkait isu konspirasi Bill Gates dibandingkan dengan website lainnya. Meme mengandung nilai-nilai budaya yang direpresentasikan dengan bentuk verbal dan visual untuk saling bertukar keyakinan dan argumentasi rasional. Penelitian ini merupakan interpretasi data berdasarkan metode kualitatif, yakni dengan jalan mengaitkan penanda tertentu kepada Bill Gates di seluruh data yang mengacu pada rekam jejak negatif, ide, ambisi, dan kecepatan Bill Gates. Beberapa data berisi penanda visual dan penanda tertulis yang saling mendukung untuk memperoleh tanda dalam suatu data seperti Bill Gates dalam bentuk virus yang menyuntik orang tua. Penanda tangan mencerminkan asumsi negatif terkait Bill Gates. Hal ini menjelaskan konotasi negatif yang ada secara konsisten. Mitos yang ada menunjukkan bahwa vaksin Bill Gates sebagai bahaya, Bill Gates sebagai dalang pandemi, dan Bill Gates sebagai seorang oportunis yang peduli pada ekspansi bisnis untuk menjangkau bisnis vaksin. Kata Kunci: Konspirasi Bill Gates, konotasi, COVID-19, meme, mitos Al-Tsaqafa : Jurnal Ilmiah Peradaban Islam. Vol 17 No. 2, 2020 186 Bill Gates Covid-19 Conspiracy In Reddit Memes: A Semiotic Approach INTRODUCTION that emerges fast around the globe such Internet memes are encompassed as China's biological weapon and through expressing values, ideas, and technology radiation. Investigating the evaluations toward something based on most predominant Covid-19 issue, Bill cultural views. Studying memes can not Gates conspiracy issue becomes the most be portrayed separately with values of popular issue discussed globally in culture so can ideas and evaluations public (Shalini, 2020). Numerous (Achaidat, 2013; Cannizzaro, 2016; Dewi representations related to Bill Gates and et al., 2017; Ross et al., 2017; Walker, what affiliate to him can be found easily 2004). Memes represent a different in digital activities. The emergence of culture and are broadly spread in various memes relate to him reflects how a types of social media and particular particular internet society portrays a websites that are globally accessible for global issue. public use. They involve numerous Conspiracy issue which contains a activities formulated in study (Benaim, particular worldview emphasizing itself 2018) that notes many activities outside in three principles. First, nothing signification generated goods and happens by accident view portrays a services such as new products (books, reality intentionally. Second, nothing is DVD, merchandising), new platforms, a as it seems view thinks that appearance is new approach to marketing, new brands, deceptive. Third, everything is connected and even new firms of money after the view believes that patterns are existence of memes. Finally, the studies everywhere because of no room for the around memes stress “role of the visual accident. A universe that is governed by in our world” (Foss, 2004). In the specific design is implied by a conspiracist theory scope of signification, internet memes (Barkun, 2003). Relating to conspiracy are not only reflecting specific ideas and theory in website, the indispensable information but also conveying them manifestation of society is not a website that can be consumed by the internet but is only a virtual place. Acquiring public. aberrant decoding that will entail Internet memes are digitally conspiracy theory is resulted by failing to shared by a particular group and view the difference between website and concerned with trending issues. They reality (Thibault, 2016). In the case of Bill can reflect the construction of meaning Gates, it might happen as well and that links to a particular ideological simultaneously represent the myth practice in a cultural commodity shared on the website. Trust, or distrust (Wiggins, 2019). They as meaningful in facing his issue, the memes with its entities exist to influence the internet contsruction of meaning exist in digital public in facing an issue even without rooms. rational and empirical inquiry for some One of particular memes websites particular people that believe in them. which still exists since 2005 is Reddit Although the spreading is on a micro- (reddit.com) with its online discussion of level but its significance is in the macro trending topics involving numerous one that shapes behavior forms, way of users. It is documented from May 2019 thinking, and actions of social groups until February 2020 that this American (shifman, 2014). Covid-19 pandemic as website had been visited by over 1.250 global issue connects other social millions users (Clement, 2020). This variables. One of the global trending easily accessible website becomes one of issues refers to conspiracy issues relates memes website that shares actively to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) more numerous memes related to Bill Al-Tsaqafa : Jurnal Ilmiah Peradaban Islam. Vol 17 No. 2, 2020 187 Azka Saeful Haq, Intan Siti Nugraha Gates conspiracy issue than the other meaning that affiliates to materialism, websites. Memes in this website can equality, freedom, and informality produce public opinion and they are existing in forms of visual and textual usually reposted in different social signifiers. Public around the world media such as Twitter and Facebook. especially the 9GAG visitors accept Memes in this context reflect belief and ideological values of USA in 9GAG “Hot rational arguments related to cultural Page”. The other study conducts myth practice. They contains cultural values refered to political entity as a piece of represented by verbal forms and visual social media to shape particular reality forms to exchange belief and rational based on memes (Shteynman, 2016). It arguments. Memes convey and imply automatically does same activity to rapidity a new form of meaning-making construct public opinions. It is similar that underscore their importance with the other study that reveals political (Wiggins, 2019). In this study, memes of culture of indonesian social media public Bill Gates conspiracy issue confirm myth in Jakarta gubernatorial election (Dewi, to portray as a delegated website Abdulllah, Maryani, & Suganda, 2017). discussing the same issues. Reddit as Memes combined with hoax founded website by American people phenomenon (Salam, 2018) was and mostly used by American user investigated through Barthes theory as portrays Bill Gates as his American well. It portrays that hoaxes do not brother in global context with particular correlate to institutional memeory of construction of meaning. ‘sacred argument’ or symbolic Memes are compatible with manifestation regarding diversity of the semiotics analysis that explicate nation, but are only employed for signification for sign use. The memes contemporary power struggles. Finally terminolgy is a new word before other nothing become changed in modern common conventional signs but not a structure established although the new concept. That terminology only power struggle can evoke the people refers to a new version of sign as position in power to change. Studying traditional semiotic concept (Kilpinen, myth can reflect a particular ideology in 2008). Memes which are viewed as sign- signs as these semiotic studies have been based phenomenon can be explained in conducted (Achaidat, 2013; Mcilwain, focusing on visual and textual element in 2007; Octavita et al., 2018). This present
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