Lire Journal (Journal of Linguistics and Literature)
Vol. 9 No. 3 (2025): Lire Journal (Journal of Linguistics and Literature)

EXPRESSING CONTROVERSIAL MEMES IN FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 EVENT: A CRITICAL MULTIMODALITY DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Hafif Priambodo, Hafif (Unknown)
Khristianto (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Nov 2025

Abstract

This study discusses the representation of controversial issues in memes that appeared during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, especially those related to human rights violations and the rejection of the LGBTQ community. The research uses a Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis (CMDA) approach by combining the theory of representational meaning from Kress and van Leeuwen (2006) for the visual aspect and the theory of transitivity from Halliday (2014) within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) for the verbal aspect. Five memes were purposively selected from various social media platforms, (langsung saja ke sumber data) and analyzed using a descriptive qualitative method. The visual analysis shows the use of various types of representational processes, such as symbolic attributive, symbolic suggestive, transactional narrative, and non-transactional narrative, which express social criticism through symbols, gestures, and spatial arrangements. Meanwhile, the verbal analysis reveals that material, relational, and verbal processes are frequently used to construct meaning and deliver criticism explicitly. This study concludes that memes are not only a form of entertainment but also an effective communication tool to express social and political criticism in a creative and accessible way for global audiences.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

elit

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Lire Journal (Journal of Linguistics and Literature) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published biannually by the English Department, Universitas Bangka Belitung, Indonesia. The journal aims to provide a platform for high-quality research in linguistics, literature, and cultural studies, ...