Harmonizing Images, Texts, and Emoticons to Promote Indonesian Events on Social Media
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25047/ijossh.v3i1.7365Keywords:
multimodal communication, images, texts, emoticons, Indonesian events, social mediaAbstract
Social media is one of the most effective promotional channels in the digital era, as it can reach audiences widely. Social media facilitates features that enable its users to provide information clearly and attractively. One of the social media platforms, Instagram, is used to promote Indonesian events by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism (Kementerian Pariwisata RI). This research applied multimodal discourse analysis to investigate the use of images, texts, and emoticons to promote Indonesian events on Instagram. Employing visual grammar theory, Appraisal framework, and intersemiotic complementarity, this paper analysed how the three modes collaborated to make meaning in English promotion. Data were images and English captions taken from two official Instagram accounts of the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism posted in April to June 2026. The images or visuals were the primary mode of Instagram posts. The posts were completed with captions which consisted of verbal texts and emoticons. Findings of the research highlighted that the images mostly contained cultural dances as unique events in Indonesia. Most images were delivered in narrative representation. The verbal texts of captions dominantly conveyed valuation and inclination to influence the audience’s perception and evoke their feeling about the events. Additionally, emoticons were used to strengthen emotion and develop more personal communication with audiences. The harmonious collaboration of eye-catching images, persuasive verbal texts, and supportive emoticons developed effective messages for promoting Indonesian events on social media.
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