Representation of bullying in Joe Bell movie: a semiotic analysis

This study analyzes the representation of the bullying phenomenon used in the Joe Bell movie. This study aims to examine the signs of forms of bullying and find the meaning of each sign in the form of bullying, which has denotative and connotative meanings. This study has two problem formulations to be analyzed, namely (1) What are the signs of bullying are represented in Joe Bell movie, and (2) What is the meaning of the signs of bullying represented in Joe Bell movie. In analyzing the data, this study uses a qualitative descriptive analysis where the data from this study is from the Joe Bell movie. The data from this study are words, phrases, clauses, and sentences to find forms of verbal bullying and images to find non-verbal forms of bullying in Joe Bell movie, which were analyzed using Roland Barthes' semiotic theory. The data source used in this research is the movie script and scenes from Joe Bell movie. The researcher describes and interprets the signs of bullying in Joe Bell movie using Tattum and Slonje & Smith's theory and Roland Barthes' semiotic theory. From the analysis of this study, the researcher found 18 data on forms of bullying both verbal and non-verbal, three data were analyzed using Barthes' theory of denotation and connotation. The forms of bullying were physical, verbal, gesture, and cyberbullying. Physical bullying includes punching, throwing bottles at the victim, putting things, nudging, pushing, pulling, and beating. Verbal bullying includes words, phrases, clauses, and sentences that insult someone. Gesture bullying includes laughing at the victim. Bullying on social media (cyber) includes swearing, insulting, and threatening. Then, the denotative and connotative meanings found in this movie through verbal include satirizing and insulting.