Myth and Ideology in Smartphone Advertisement
Abstract
In the digital era, smartphone advertising extends beyond the promotion of technical features and increasingly functions as a medium for constructing cultural meanings, myths, and ideologies. This study examines YouTube advertisements for the Samsung Galaxy A34 using Roland Barthes’ semiotic framework, which includes the levels of denotation, connotation, myth, and ideology. Through qualitative analysis, the research identifies how visual narratives and technological representations in the commercials generate symbolic associations with empowerment, mobility, multicultural harmony, and futurism. These connotative meanings evolve into broader cultural myths that portray technology as a liberating force, a unifying agent, and a marker of social progress. At the ideological level, the advertisements naturalize values of modernity, consumerism, technological determinism, and hyper-individualism. Additionally, the study highlights YouTube’s algorithmic and multimodal features, which amplify the reach and ideological influence of such advertisements by enabling targeted dissemination and interactive user engagement. The findings demonstrate that YouTube smartphone commercials function not only as marketing tools but also as cultural texts that shape societal perceptions of technology, identity, and modern life.
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References
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Bhattacharya, A., & Dhingra, P. M. (2023). YouTube “unboxing:” An influencer of purchase intent—A quantitative study. NMIMS Management Review, 31(3), 203–213.
Carmona, C. (2022). A Semiotic Analysis On The Power Of Advertising In Propelling Social Change. Technology and Communication of Universidade Europeia.
Finlayson, A. (2022). YouTube and political ideologies: Technology, populism and rhetorical form. Political Studies, 70(1), 62–80.
Garibay, C. S., Choi, E., & Lapierre, M. A. (2024). Parental Mediation of Mobile/Digital Devices and Children’s Consumer Behavior: Examining the Role of Parental Understanding of Mobile/Digital Advertising. Young Consumers Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers, 26(1), 79–95. https://doi.org/10.1108/yc-03-2024-2019
Hasyim, M., & Arafah, B. (2023). Social Media Text Meaning: Cultural Information Consumption. Wseas Transactions on Information Science and Applications, 20, 220–227.
Karamchandani, S., Karani, A., & Jayswal, M. (2021). Linkages Between Advertising Value Perception, Context Awareness Value, Brand Attitude and Purchase Intention of Hygiene Products During COVID-19: A Two Wave Study. Vision the Journal of Business Perspective, 28(5), 607–620. https://doi.org/10.1177/09722629211043954
Karim, S., Fatima, S. M., & Mir, S. H. (2024). A Semiotic Analysis of Social Class Representation in Pakistani Television Commercials. Sindh Journal of Linguistics, 3(1), 148–161.
Kayacan, İ. (2023). Brands and Mythology: Symbolic Significance and Differentiation. European Journal of Digital Economy Research, 4(2), 49–54.
Kotwal, R. (2025). Unleashing Social Media Marketing Strategies. Educohack Press.
Li, J., Adnan, H. M., & Gong, J. (2023). Exploring Cultural Meaning Construction in Social Media: An Analysis of Liziqi’s YouTube Channel. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 23(4), 1–12.
Manosalva, A. B. P. (2023). Creation Of Identity Value In Video Advertising: Performing Identity Myths Of Stigmatized Groups Of Society. Lund University.
Martin, E. (2011). Multilingualism and Web advertising: addressing French-speaking consumers. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 32(3), 265–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2011.560671
Martins, J., Costa, C., Oliveira, T., Gonçalves, R., & Branco, F. (2019). How Smartphone Advertising Influences Consumers’ Purchase Intention. Journal of Business Research, 94, 378–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.12.047
Ofori, F. Y. (2023). Online advertising of telecommunication networks in Ghana A study of selected Youtube video advertisements.
PAN, L. (2023). The ideologies of Mandarin Excellence in UK news reports. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 44(6), 481–497. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1835927
Roth‐Cohen, O., Rosenberg, H., & Lissitsa, S. (2021). Are You Talking to Me? Generation X, Y, Z Responses to Mobile Advertising. Convergence the International Journal of Research Into New Media Technologies, 28(3), 761–780. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565211047342
Samsung Indonesia. (2024, June 1). Samsung Galaxy A34 | A54 5G - YouTube. Samsung Indonesia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GN7nNj3vuw
Samsung US. (2024, March 12). Galaxy S24 Ultra Official Film: Interpreter | Samsung. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yoCeg3SkUQ
Sanjaya, A. G., Linuwih, E. R., & Fadilah, E. (2023). Revealing the Myths in Iphone 14 Advertisement: Semiotics Approach. International Journal of English and Applied Linguistics (Ijeal), 3(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.47709/ijeal.v3i2.2746
Sayah, R. (2024). Social Class, Smartphone Advertising Exposure, Self‐esteem, and Materialism: The Case of Children in Lebanon. Digest of Middle East Studies, 33(3), 282–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/dome.12329
Sembiring, A. W. B., & Fahlevi, R. (2023). The Influence of Online Advertising on Smartphone Purchase Intentions During Covid-19 Pandemic. Husnayain Business Review, 3(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.54099/hbr.v3i1.344
Shabrina, W., Renuat, A., Ningsih, D. K., & Wirawanda, Y. (2022). Representation of Health Messages in Bear Brand’s Advertisement Series Using Barthes’ Semiotics Analysis. Expose Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 5(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.33021/exp.v5i1.3893
Sohal, S., & Kaur, H. (2018). A Content Analysis of YouTube Political Advertisements: Evidence From Indian Parliamentary Elections. Journal of Creative Communications, 13(2), 133–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973258618761408
Sulatra, I. K., & Pratiwi, D. P. E. (2020). The Ideology Within Covid-19 Public Service Advertisements: A Semiotic Approach. Humanis, 24(4), 350. https://doi.org/10.24843/jh.2020.v24.i04.p02
West, E., & McAllister, M. P. (2023). The Routledge Companion to Advertising and Promotional culture. Routledge London and New York.
Whelan, B., Moon, S., & Erevelles, S. (2024). The Triadic Influence Of Brand Personality, Culture And Social Media Usage On Consumer Attachment To Iconic Brands. Journal of Cultural Marketing Strategy, 8(2), 192–210.
Zheng, X., Fan, X., Wright, A., Kim, J., & Zhao, Y. (2019). Social Media Use in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patient Education: A Content Analysis of YouTube Videos. The American Journal of Gastroenterology, 114(1), S281–S282. https://doi.org/10.14309/01.ajg.0000591476.97066.19
Published
2025-11-25
How to Cite
AGUSTIA, Km. Tri Sutrisna et al.
Myth and Ideology in Smartphone Advertisement.
e-Journal of Linguistics, [S.l.], v. 20, n. 1, p. 65--77, nov. 2025.
ISSN 2442-7586.
Available at: <http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eol/article/view/131431>. Date accessed: 27 nov. 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/e-jl.2026.v20.i01.p06.
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
