Kekuatan Visual dalam Mendisiplinkan Khalayak di Masa Pandemi Covid-19

Abstract

In this article, the author dissected two photos published by two mass media by describing the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. The two photos serve as an entry point to see the position of Indonesia's visual culture in facing the Covid-19 pandemic, visual culture here is seen from the mass media approach using photography as a representation of Indonesia. Photography does not only prioritize aspects of beauty, but is able to describe complexity, problems and at the same time open up space for discussion and how to understand the cultural power of Indonesia. This article is not in the aim of having the pretense to simplify or even bypass the leap in Indonesian visual culture, but how to place the full awareness of the audience in the face of a "disaster". At this point, the writer tries to dismantle the mythical meaning in the two photos that will be uncovered. The author's aim is to show the complexity of cultural problems, particularly related to visual culture, by borrowing two photos taken from the mass media. The two photos were selected on the basis of being able to represent the reality of Indonesia in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. This article uses Barthesian semiology. The aim is to explore how a visual, has sensory power with its power that is capable of determining behavior. In this article, the author describes the relation between photography practice and the discourse of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia, which can be productive as well as counterproductive. This research wants to show that, in this case visual photography, is one of the mediums in the form of signs which possess ideology, as a contribution of thought for the government to be literate in maximizing the medium, in this case photography.