Komodifikasi Tubuh dan Mitos Kesejahteraan Dalam Nightmares And Daydreams Melalui Semiotika Barthesian

Abstract

Joko Anwar's series Nightmares and Daydreams marks a significant intervention in the Indonesian media landscape, yet critical analysis of its function as an ideological text remains limited. This study fills that gap by deconstructing the social myths represented in the series through Roland Barthes' critical semiotic approach to data analysis. The findings of a thematic analysis of key scenes such as moral dialogue depicting the internalization of the value of filial piety, the extreme symbolization of body objectification, the mother character's rejection of the institutionalized logic of welfare and the depiction of economic desperation. This shows that the series consistently deconstructs the "myth of prosperity" within capitalist logic. This myth is presented as an empty promise that ultimately leads to the "commodification and exploitation of the body," where human value is reduced to an economic asset. This study concludes that the use of the science fiction-supernatural genre functions as a powerful allegory for delivering sharp social critique, positioning the series as an important cultural text within the discourse of contemporary Indonesian cultural politics.