Ladang Sawit Pengganti Hutan: Analisis Satire Lingkungan pada karikatur dan meme internet dengan pendekatan semiotik Roland Barthes

Abstract

This article examines environmental satire in editorial cartoons and internet memes that raise the issue of forest conversion into oil palm plantations in Indonesia. This study aims to identify the visual and verbal signs used in cartoons and memes, analyze how satirical meaning is constructed through a system of signs, and explain the role of these visual texts in shaping public criticism and awareness of palm oil policies and their ecological impact. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach with text analysis and Roland Barthes' visual-verbal semiotic analysis, which includes the levels of denotation, connotation, and myth. The research objects consist of four digital visual texts, namely two memes from the Instagram and X platforms and two editorial caricatures from Threads and Instagram. The results show that caricatures and memes represent palm oil as a symbol of ecological damage through visual metaphors such as the angel of death, comparisons of tree roots, and the satirical narrative "palm oil is also a tree.". At the mythical level, these visual texts deconstruct the naturalization of state discourse that equates palm oil with forests and normalizes deforestation in the name of development and economic interests. These findings confirm that memes and caricatures function as effective cultural texts in conveying environmental criticism, constructing counter-narratives, and encouraging critical thinking among the public in the digital public sphere. Theoretically, this research contributes to the development of semiotics, visual culture, and contemporary literature studies, while practically enriching the understanding of the potential of digital visual media as a means of critical education and environmental literacy.