Abstract:
This study examines how digital philanthropy is semiotically represented in TikTok content
under the theme “Jumat Berkah” (Friday Blessing) created by Shadira Firdausi Firdausi
(@Shaturday). Employing a Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) approach and the
Visual Grammar framework developed by Kress and Leeuwen (2006; 2021), this research
analyzes five to six selected images extracted from three TikTok videos featuring charitable
acts such as the distribution of shoes, hijab hampers, and Umrah prayer kits to various
recipients including online motorcycle drivers, Umrah pilgrims near the Grand Mosque in
Mecca, and women performing (spiritual retreat) at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta.
The analysis focuses on three visual metafunction: representational, interactional, and
compositional, to understand how meaning is constructed through the integration of visual
and textual elements. The representational metafunction highlights the action of giving and
receiving as a reflection of empathy, social solidarity, and spiritual piety. The interactional
metafunction reveals the use of gaze alignment, social distance, and viewer engagement
strategies to create emotional proximity and solidarity between the creator and the audience.
Meanwhile, the compositional metafunction demonstrates how visual layout structures
through information placement, salience, and framing direct the viewer's attention to the
intended moral and spiritual messages.
Moreover, this study explores the relationship between text and image through captions,
which function as complementary, anchoring, and meaning-extending elements. In this
context, TikTok is positioned not merely as a platform for performative religious expression
but also as a dynamic space that facilitates the representation of digital spirituality and
affective philanthropy among contemporary Muslim youth.
This research contributes to the field of Multimodal Discourse Analysis and digital
religiosity by offering a semiotic mapping of how Islamic values and charitable practices
are represented and disseminated via social media. Future research is encouraged to explore
how such content influences user behavior, particularly in terms ofreligious engagement and
everyday practices, and to develop studies on audience reception, cross-platform
comparisons, or longitudinal approaches to understanding the evolving dynamics of online
religious communication.
