Roland Barthes' Semiotic Analysis of Visual Symbols on the website haveaniesday.com: Myth and Ideology Digital Design

Abstract

The objective of this research is to deconstruct the mechanisms by which the website's visual design constructs and conveys meaning, utilizing the semiotic framework developed by Roland Barthes. This inquiry specifically investigates how visual symbols operate beyond their overt messages to reproduce and reinforce values that are widely accepted as given. Adopting a qualitative interpretative method, the study applies Barthes' critical semiotic analysis across three levels of meaning: denotation, connotation, and myth. Results show that the figure of a bespectacled owl functions as a signifier for the intelligent "digital native." Furthermore, a "DIY" poster promotes ideologies related to technological libertarianism and neoliberal economics, whereas a "Space Available" billboard serves as a veiled critique of digital commercialization. On a mythological level, the website perpetuates the narratives of "technological solutionism" and "meritocracy," thereby obscuring the diverse realities of access to technology. Ultimately, this research posits that contemporary visual design employs advanced semiotic tactics to naturalize dominant ideologies, presenting them as unquestionable truths.