Journal of English Teaching and Applied Linguistics (JETAL)
Vol 8 No 1 (2026): September In Progress

EMBODIED DIGITAL PROTEST IN ROBLOX: A MULTIMODAL CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF POWER AND RESISTANCE IN VIRTUAL ACTIVISM

Putri Rizki Syafrayani (Universitas Negeri Medan)
Siti Aisah Ginting (Universitas Negeri Medan)
Winda Setiasari (Universitas Negeri Medan)



Article Info

Publish Date
03 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the construction of meanings of power and protest through multimodal semiotic resources within the “Free Palestine” protest simulation on the Roblox video game platform. Roblox enables users to perform protest discourse through embodied interaction, spatial navigation, symbolic representation, and multimodal participation as participatory virtual environments increasingly function as sociopolitical communicative spaces. This research applies the MCAD by Jewitt and Machin and Mayr to examine how linguistic, visual, gestural, spatial, and auditory semiotic resources interact to construct representations of resistance, solidarity, and institutional authority within the virtual environment. Data were collected through repeated close-playing observation, multimodal logging, field-note documentation, and iterative analysis of representative protest scenes. The analytical process involved multimodal categorization, interpretive coding, and critical examination of how semiotic resources operate relationally across interactive gameplay contexts. The findings demonstrate that protest discourse within Roblox is enacted through embodied and participatory performance in which players negotiate ideological positioning through avatar movement, spatial confrontation, and symbolic alignment. This study contributes theoretically to MCDA by extending multimodal discourse analysis beyond static media texts to interactive gaming environments characterized by embodied resistance and participatory protest discourse.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

jetal

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

Journal of English Teaching and Applied Linguistic (JETAL) is a peer-reviewed journal published in Indonesia by the Department of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, the University of HKBP NOMMENSEN (PSPBI FKIP UHKBPN). This journal is published twice a year: April and ...