Abdul Wahid's Visual Communication on TikTok During the 2024 Riau Gubernatorial Election Campaign

Abdul Wahid's Visual Communication on TikTok During the 2024 Riau Gubernatorial Election Campaign

Authors

  • Mustafa Mustafa Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syaruf Kasim Riau
  • Rohayati Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syaruf Kasim Riau
  • Ira Yulia Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syaruf Kasim Riau
  • Nur Alhidayatillah Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syaruf Kasim Riau

Keywords:

TikTok, social semiotics, hermeneutics, 2024 Riau Gubernatorial Election

Abstract

This study analyzes Abdul Wahid's visual communication on TikTok during the 2024 Riau Governor and Vice Governor election campaign using a qualitative-interpretive paradigm and a hermeneutic/social semiotic approach. The unit of analysis includes posts from the @wahid_simbar account about market visits, community dialogues, and mass religious gatherings, along with additional data in the form of text, on-screen text, and audio. Key findings demonstrate the formation of an ethos of "moral courage" through the medium composition of a close-up orator (white shirt, red cap) under a green-and-white tent, as well as deictic gestures that focus attention; the red/green color scheme plays a role in affective-cultural salience, while eye-level framing and vector movement build social closeness. The programmatic promise package of free education and employment is easily connected to the audience's daily life through a shared wide shot, a uniform shooting rhythm, and a closing pose with young people in green tones. Abdul Wahid's visual resonance is primarily generated by a consistent compositional arrangement between ethos, gesture, and spatial context, with the presence of Ustadz Abdul Somad as a symbolic reinforcement.

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Published

2025-12-31
Received 2025-12-17
Accepted 2026-01-29
Published 2025-12-31
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