Tatapan Militer Kontemporer pada Antarmuka Digital: Analisis Multimodal Kritis Laman Berita Spekulatif U.S. Department of War

Arsyiatin Arobby; Matiullah Mansoor

doi:10.51673/jurnalistrendi.v11i4.3046

Arsyiatin Arobby Jenderal Soedirman University
Matiullah Mansoor Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Banyumas

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51673/jurnalistrendi.v11i4.3046

Abstract

This study aims to critically analyze how power, authority, and the legitimacy of military actions are actively constructed through the synergy of various semiotic modes on the interface of a digital news website. The object of study in this research is an original news page titled “U.S. Department of War,” dated 2026, which reports on the interception of the commercial vessel “Blue Star III” by U.S. Marine Corps forces. By integrating Kress & Van Leeuwen’s (2006) Grammar framework, Adami’s (2015) semiotics of web interactivity, Zappavigna’s (2015) theory of ambient affiliation, and de Souza’s (2005) theory of semiotic engineering, the analysis was conducted in a multidimensional manner. The findings indicate that the visual aspects of the news position readers as passive observers under total military surveillance. Furthermore, an expanded analysis of web interface elements—such as the masculine and tactical “dark mode” color scheme, the placement of the historical “Department of War” logo, the integration of tabs like “UFO,” the interactivity of the image-download button, and the use of affective hashtags like “epic fury”—functions as an ideological apparatus. These elements do not merely present information; rather, they reconstruct the discourse of militarism into a legitimate, rational, and entertaining aesthetic spectacle in the digital age.

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