Asian Journal of Media and Communication

Speech Acts on Memes: A pragmatic study of Graduation T-shirts of Graduands

2025-12-16T16:22:38+00:00

Memes are linguistic tools for communication. Their power in the domain of communication, general discussions and writings from mainstream news media to digital media attract attentions. That, understanding their pragmatic effect becomes necessary, especially in today's digital world. This paper offers a pragmatic study of memes on graduation T-shirt of graduads. It specifically framed to ascertain how speech acts a humorously realised through memes. Memes are communication tools common at all levels in society; it is a powerful means of communication by civilisations. It communicates messages of valuable quality, which calls for pragmatic interventions to make explicit certain shrouded issues. The paper formulates two objectives: discuss the pragmatic power of memes in communicating messages, and identity the kind of speech acts memes contained. Guided the paper is Perlocutionary Acts, the third act of John Austin's (1962) Speech Acts Theory.

The paper, however, is descriptive in nature, and analysed memes. The data were sourced from graduands' T-shirts of the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. The findings reveal that the studied memes perform different speech acts like persuading, enlightening, inspiring, warning and convincing.

Moral Character and Virtue in Anime: An Aristotelian Reading of Wind Breaker Season 2 Episode 10

2025-12-20T16:31:30+00:00

The phenomenon of growing social apathy in modern society signals an urgent moral crisis that needs to be examined. This research aims to analyze the representation of Aristotelian virtue ethics in Wind Breaker Anime Episode 10 Season 2 as an alternative medium for moral education. Using a qualitative approach and content analysis method, the study explores how the concepts of arete (moral excellence), phronesis (practical wisdom), and eudaimonia (true happiness) are manifested through the actions and transformations of characters, especially Suzurin. This episode features a series of virtuous actions such as apology, empathy, forgiveness, and self-acceptance, which reflect Aristotle's doctrine of the golden mean and character formation through habituation. Collective support, moral courage, and the granting of second chances are interpreted as manifestations of justice and friendship (philia) within a social context. The analysis results show that Wind Breaker not only presents an entertaining narrative but also offers ethical values that can encourage moral reflection and character development in the audience. This research affirms the potential of anime as a pedagogical tool in revitalizing classical ethical values for the digital generation. Thus, this study contributes to expanding the scope of ethical approaches in popular culture and contemporary moral education.

Visual Bias and Media Ownership in Local Digital Journalism: The Case of Radar Cirebon’s Instagram Coverage

2025-12-19T09:50:05+00:00

This study examines how media ownership influences visual bias in local digital journalism through the case of Radar Cirebon’s Instagram coverage during the 2024 mayoral election in Cirebon, Indonesia. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, eighty-two posts published during the official campaign period were analyzed based on Denis McQuail’s six indicators of media independence: opinion, personalization, dramatization, stereotyping, juxtaposition, and accuracy. The findings uncover a systematic pattern of visual partisanship, where the media owner's affiliated candidate consistently benefited from evaluative captions, aesthetic personalization, and dramatized imagery. While this case reflects the global phenomenon of media convergence and the platformization of news, it also highlights the distinctive vulnerabilities of local journalism in Indonesia’s digital landscape—particularly when editorial autonomy is compromised by ownership interests. The study contributes to the growing scholarship on digital journalism and visual communication by extending classic media bias frameworks into the realm of social media platforms. It also underscores the need for stronger ethical standards and regulatory mechanisms to safeguard editorial independence in local digital media ecosystems.

Digital Health Communication Strategies on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Breastfeeding Education in Indonesia

2026-01-03T17:38:03+00:00

This research examines the role of Instagram as a platform for digital health communication concerning breastfeeding education in Indonesia. The study centers on four Instagram accounts with diverse orientations: @aimi_asi (a non-profit organization), @momuung.id (a commercial enterprise), and two personal accounts, @stephanieking and @brendashahnaz. Utilizing qualitative content analysis, the investigation explores their communication strategies, thematic focuses, and visual storytelling methods. The results indicate that both institutional and personal accounts actively participate in health education by employing multimodal content, which includes informational posts, instructional videos, and personal narratives. Despite their differing institutional affiliations, all accounts adopt affective and participatory approaches that blend emotional storytelling with evidence-based information. Specifically, AIMI ASI emphasizes the economic and environmental sustainability aspects of breastfeeding, whereas Momuung.id combines health awareness with product promotion. In contrast, the personal accounts leverage authenticity and lived experience to craft relatable maternal narratives that enhance emotional connection and foster community engagement.

The analysis reveals that these digital platforms exemplify a hybrid communication model that integrates medical knowledge, emotional empathy, and cultural values within the collectivist context of Indonesia. This hybrid approach transforms breastfeeding advocacy from a hierarchical public health initiative into a participatory, community-oriented dialogue. The study contributes to broadening non-Western perspectives within digital health communication scholarship by highlighting the significance of cultural sensitivity, emotional resonance, and trust-building in shaping effective digital health discourse. Ultimately, Instagram functions as both an informational and affective ecosystem that promotes maternal health literacy and facilitates social empowerment through networked communication.