AN ANALYSIS OF HEGEMONY PHENOMENA IN MEME COMICS

(APPROACH: SEMIOTICS)

THESIS

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Studies.

By

Abd. Rahman Zain

NPM. 201306037

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF LETTERS

UNIVERSITY OF ABDURACHMAN SALEH SITUBONDO

2017

i
 DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

I, hereby, declare that

1. This thesis, entitled An Analysis of Hegemony Phenomena in Meme

Comics (Approach: Semiotics), is my own work and is not written in

collaboration with others, nor does it include, without due

acknowledgement, the work of people.

2. If at later time it is found that this thesis is a product of plagiarism, I am

willing to accept any legal consequences that maybe imposed to me.

Situbondo, October 5, 2017

The Researcher,

Abd. Rahman Zain

NPM. 201306037

ii
 THESIS

AN ANALYSIS OF HEGEMONY PHENOMENA IN MEME COMICS

(APPROACH: SEMIOTICS)

by
Abd. Rahman Zain
NPM. 201306037

Advisors

Advisor : Yopi Thahara, M.Hum

Co-advisor : Firqo Amelia, M.A

iii
 Approval Sheet by Thesis Advisors

This is to certify that the sarjana’s thesis of Abd. Rahman Zain has been approved

by the thesis advisors for further approval by the Board of Examiners.

Situbondo, October 5, 2017

Advisor, Co-Advisor,

Yopi Thahara, M.Hum Firqo Amelia, M.A

NIDN. 0721018702 NIDN. 0722048901

Acknowledged by

Dean of Faculty of Letters,

Drs. Supatra, M.Pd

NIS. 360 141 040

iv
 Approval Sheet for Thesis Examiners Board

This is to certify that the sarjana’s thesis of Abd. Rahman Zain entitled An

Analysis of Hegemony Phenomena in Meme Comics (Approach: Semiotics) has

been examined and approved by the Board of Examiners as the requirement for

the degree of sarjana sastra in English Studies.

Situbondo, October 5, 2017

Board of Thesis Examiners:

Chair : 1. Ahmad Yusuf Firdaus, M.Hum (…………..)

NIDN. 0722059001

Members : 1.Yopi Thahara, M.Hum (…………..)

NIDN. 0721018702

2. Firqo Amelia, M.A (…………..)

NIDN. 0722048901

Acknowledged by
Dean of Faculty of Letters

v
 Drs. Supatra, M.Pd.
NIS. 360 141 040

DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to:

 My beloved family: Abi, Umi, and Ami who always give hard support

in the process of my study.

 My almamater includes my thesis advisors and lecturers in English

Department, Faculty of Letters, University of Abdurachman Saleh

Situbondo.

 Friends who always do crazy things to erase my exhaustion in the

process of this research.

vi
MOTTO

"Don’t waste your time"

Savira Asy-Syfa’ (2017)

vii
 ABSTRACT

Zain, A. R. (2017). An Analysis of Hegemony Phenomena in Meme Comics

(Approach: Semiotics). Thesis S-1, English Department, Faculty of Letters,
University of Abdurachman Saleh, Situbondo.

Keywords: semiotics, pop-culture, hegemony phenomena, meme comics

This thesis discusses semiotics in the meme comics that contain hegemony
issues. The term of semiotics or semiology is from Greek word semeion which
means symbol or sign. Hence, Semiotics is a study to interpret a sign. The
researcher uses Roland Barthes’ semiotics theory that includes myth and John
Storey’s pop-culture theory that includes hegemony theory by Antonio Gramsci.
The aims of this research are: (1) to describe myth significations in the meme
comics with hegemony phenomena in lehugak.com (2) to identify hegemony
issues in the meme comics in lehugak.com.
The data in this research are in the form of picture of meme comics that
contain hegemony phenomena in lehugak.com that is posted by Mas Sugeng at
2016. This research used qualitative research. There were some steps in analyzing
the data, they are: selecting and classifying the meme comics based on the
hegemony phenomena that are contained, describing the myth in each meme
comic based on Barthes’ semiotics theory and identifying hegemony issues by
using Antonio Gramsci’s theory. The last is making conclusion based on the myth
and hegemony issues of the meme comic data.
The findings of the analysis present 12 meme comics that contain hegemony
issues found by the researcher in lehugak.com. There are three classifications of
meme comic data based on the representation of hegemony issues, they are: four
data of hegemony in economic issues, four data of hegemony in political issues,
and four data of hegemony in technology. The result of this research are the meme
comics data have myth signification that represent to social phenomena in a
particular society and several meme comics data contain hegemony issues as the
product of popular culture.
The researcher expects the next researchers to do the analysis of semiotics in
meme comics with other perspectives which relates to pop-culture phenomena.
The researcher also expects the next researcher to identify hegemony as the
product of pop-culture in other literary works.

viii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Alhamdulillahi rabbil ‘alamin, the researcher enunciates all of praises to

Allah SWT for blessing, love, mercy, and health in accomplishing this thesis. This

thesis entitled An Analysis of Hegemony Phenomena in Meme Comics (Approach:

Semiotics) is submitted as the requirement to get title Sarjana Sastra at English

Department, Faculty of Letters, University of Abdurachman Saleh Situbondo.

In the process of this thesis, a lot of people have contributed in supporting,

motivating, and advicing for the researcher. In this valuable chance, the researcher

would like to express his gratitude to all of them. First, the researcher’s deepest

gratitude is goes to his beloved parents, Ahmad Zaini and Titin Nendang Lestari,

and also his beloved brother Muhammad Fahmi Zain for the love, pray, advices,

support for finishing his study about four years. Second, the researcher expressed

his thankfulness to his closed friend Agista Nelvia Rindra Susanto for her anger in

giving the hard support when the researcher was in upset in writing this thesis.

Thank you for being patient in facing the researcher’s bad attitudes and behaviors.

They researcher prays may Allah always guides and gives His blessing and mercy

for all of you. Amin

In this occasion, the researcher would like to express his deepest gratitude to:

1. Dean of Letters Faculty of Abdurachman Saleh University Situbondo Drs.

Supatra, M.Pd. who has given the research permission to conduct this

research.

ix
2. Yopi Thahara, M.Hum, as the advisor, who always giving valuable suggestion

and guidence in writing this thesis.

3. Firqo Amelia, M.A, as the Co-advisor, who has helped him patiently in

accomplishing this thesis by giving guidence, supervision, and correction to

make this thesis is better.

4. All the lectures in Faculty of Letters, University of Abdurachman Saleh

Situbondo, for giving valuable knowledges about four years.

5. The researcher’s crazy friends in English Department 2013, Faculty of Letters

UNARS; Sarno, Heli, Mimin, June, Rifky, Juna, Faris, and Dedy Thanks for

crazy amazing memories for four years. We are not just a friend, but a family.

6. Hasya, Mili, Vinda, Ayu and all students‘ Faculty of Letters UNARS and other

students who the researcher cannot mention one by one. Thank you for

togetherness in achieving Sarjana together.

May Allah SWT, The Almighty God gives His blessing and mercy for all of

them. The researcher realizes that this thesis is so far from the term perfection, but

he expects that this thesis can be useful for the readers. Therefore, the researcher

will accept any constructive critics and suggestions.

Situbondo, October 5, 2017

The researcher

x
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER................................................................................................................. i

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSIP.................................................................. ii

ADVISOR SHEET.............................................................................................. iii

APPROVAL SHEET OF THESIS ADVISORS............................................... iv

APPROVAL SHEET BY THE BOARD OF THESIS EXAMINER.............. v

DEDICATION SHEET....................................................................................... vi

MOTTO................................................................................................................vii

ABSTRACT....................................................................................................... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..................................................................................ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................... xi

LIST OF TABLE..............................................................................................xiii

LIST OF FIGURE.............................................................................................xiv

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of Study ............................................................... 1

1.2 Research Problems .................................................................. 9

1.3 Objective of the Study ............................................................. 9

1.4 Scope of the Study.................................................................... 10

1.5 Significance of the Study.......................................................... 10

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

2.1 The Definition of Semiotics/Semiology................................... 12

2.2 Myth Signifiaction.................................................................... 14

2.3 Popular Culture......................................................................... 17

2.4 Hegemony................................................................................. 19

xi
 2.5 Meme Comics........................................................................... 20

2.6 Lehugak.com............................................................................. 22

CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design ...................................................................... 23

3.2 Data Source and Research Data................................................ 24

3.3 Techniques of Data Collection ................................................ 24

3.4 Research Instrument................................................................. 25

3.4 Data Analysis ........................................................................... 25

CHAPTER IV RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 General Description ................................................................. 27

4.1.1 Hegemony in Economic Issues....................................... 28

4.1.2 Hegemony in Political Issues......................................... 29

4.1.3 Hegemony in Technology.............................................. 30

4.2 Research Findings .................................................................... 30

4.3 Discussion ................................................................................ 68

CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

5.1 Conclusion................................................................................ 73

5.2 Suggestion................................................................................ 74

REFERENCES................................................................................................... 75

APPENDIXES.................................................................................................... 7

xii
 LIST OF TABLE

Table Page

2.1 Signification system (Barthes, 1957:113).......................................................15

2.2 The primary signification and secondary signification...................................16

4.1 The Meme Comic Data that Contain Economic Hegemony Issues................28

4.2 The Meme Comic Data that Contain Political Hegemony Issues...................29

4.3 The Meme Comic Data that Contain Hegemony Issues in Technology.........30

4.4 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 1 (MC-EH 1).......33

4.5 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 2 (MC-EH 2).......36

4.6 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 3 (MC-EH 3).......39

4.7 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 4 (MC-EH 4).......42

4.8 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 5 (MC-PH 1).......45

4.9 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 6 (MC-PH 2).......49

4.8 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 7 (MC-PH 3).......53

4.9 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 8 (MC-PH 4).......56

4.10 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 9 (MC-HT 1).....59

4.11 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 10 (MC-HT 2)...62

4.12 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 11 (MC-HT 3)...65

4.13 The semiotics system based on Barthes’ theory in Datum 12 (MC-HT 4)...68

4.14 The myth signification and hegemony issues in meme comic data..............71

xiii
 LIST OF FIGURE

Figure Page

1.1 The example of meme comics that contain hegemony issue..........................5

2.1 The Saussure’s sign model..............................................................................13

2.2 Pierce’s triangle model....................................................................................14

2.3 Yao Ming.........................................................................................................20

2.4 Troll Face.........................................................................................................21

2.5 Forever alone...................................................................................................21

2.6 Challenge accepted..........................................................................................21

2.7 Poker face........................................................................................................22

4.1 Datum 1 (MC-EH 1)........................................................................................31

4.2 Datum 2 (MC-EH 2)........................................................................................34

4.3 Datum 3 (MC-EH 3)........................................................................................37

4.4 Datum 4 (MC-EH 4)........................................................................................40

4.5 Datum 5 (MC-PH 1)........................................................................................43

4.6 Datum 6 (MC-PH 2)........................................................................................46

4.7 Datum 7 (MC-PH 3)........................................................................................50

4.8 Datum 8 (MC-PH 4)........................................................................................54

4.9 Datum 9 (MC-HT 1)........................................................................................57

4.10 Datum 10 (MC-HT 2)....................................................................................60

4.11 Datum 11 (MC-HT 3)....................................................................................63

4.12 Datum 12 (MC-HT 4)....................................................................................66

xiv