<![CDATA[A digital illustration by Muhammadiyah themed around May Day 2026, published on the X platform, has become an intriguing phenomenon in visual communication because it blends social criticism, Islamic values, and references to popular culture within a single compositional frame. This study aims to analyze the representation of the working class in these illustrations through three focuses: identifying denotative and connotative signs, uncovering the myths and ideologies at play, and understanding how Muhammadiyah constructs labor discourse through digital visual language. The study employs a qualitative approach using Roland Barthes’ semiotic analysis method, which encompasses three levels of signification: denotation, connotation, and myth. The findings reveal that at the denotative level, the illustrations depict everyday objects of the urban working class arranged in a bird’s-eye-view composition. At the connotative level, these signs construct layered representations encompassing dignified poverty, labor market exploitation, the hybridity of urban Muslim identity, theological legitimization through Quranic Surah At-Taubah 105, and a fundamental longing for a life of sufficiency without overtime. At the mythical level, the illustrations simultaneously operate four ideological discourses that are hegemonic, ambivalent, and resistant in nature. Overall, Muhammadiyah constructs an affirmative-empathic labor discourse by leveraging the digital aesthetics of the younger generation, yet does not explicitly advocate for structural transformation. These findings contribute to the study of Islamic communication semiotics and research on worker representation in Indonesian digital media.]]>
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