Semiotics and Cyber Victimology in Interpreting the Signs of Digital Victimization
摘要
The convergence of semiotics and cyber victimology offers a novel theoretical lens to examine the complex dynamics of digital victimization in contemporary society. Digital victimization does not only involve acts of harm such as cyberbullying, online fraud, identity theft, and non-consensual image sharing, but also the production, circulation, and interpretation of signs that construct the identity of victims and perpetrators in cyberspace. Semiotics, as the study of signs and meanings, enables the deconstruction of linguistic, visual, and symbolic codes embedded in digital interactions, while cyber victimology provides a criminological framework for understanding the conditions, experiences, and vulnerabilities of individuals who become targets of cybercrime. This paper argues that integrating semiotic analysis with cyber victimology allows for a deeper exploration of how digital traces such as emojis, hashtags, memes, screenshots, and metadata function not only as evidence in legal contexts but also as cultural markers that shape the perception of victimhood and culpability. The semiotic dimension highlights how narratives of shame, blame, and credibility are negotiated through signs in online environments, whereas cyber victimology emphasizes the structural and psychological consequences of such victimization. Theoretically, Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, Saussure’s structural linguistics, Peirce’s triadic model, Barthes’ mythologies, Eco’s cultural codes, Kristeva’s intertextuality, Hall’s decoding, and Foucault’s discourse theory is using for enrich reconstructing cyber victimology in Indonesia. By combining these perspectives, the study demonstrates that digital victimization should be understood not merely as a technical violation of cyber laws, but also as a symbolic process that influences the construction of justice, identity, and social legitimacy. Ultimately, this interdisciplinary approach seeks to contribute to the development of more comprehensive frameworks in criminal law, victim protection policies, and digital forensics, ensuring that the signs of harm in cyberspace are recognized, contextualized, and addressed with sensitivity to both meaning and consequence.