MAKNA MEME DEBAT PERTAMA CALON PRESIDEN 2024 (Analisis Semiotika Meme Politik Pada Tagar #DebatCapres Sosial Media X)

Political memes have become a popular phenomenon on social media, often used to convey political messages, criticism, and public aspirations on political issues. This research aims to understand the meaning of messages that meme creators on the social media platform X (Twitter) intend to convey to their audience.

The first presidential debate became a trending topic on X (Twitter) under the hashtag #DebatCapres, where many political memes circulated. As a unit of digital culture, memes play an important role in political communication due to their ability to simplify complex issues and attract attention creatively.

The study uses Charles Sanders Peirce’s semiotic analysis to examine the meaning of memes related to the first 2024 presidential debate on social media X (Twitter). Peirce’s semiotics involves the sign, object, and interpretant, known as the semiotic triangle. The research adopts a constructivist approach with an interpretative qualitative semiotic research type.

The study found three classifications of memes: satire memes, “Let Him Cook” memes, and debate situation memes. Each classification conveys a different meaning. Satire memes express dislike, rebuttal, or disagreement. "Let Him Cook" memes signify support, and debate situation memes portray specific moments of the presidential debate presented in meme form.