Skip to content
1981
Volume 6, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2634-4726
  • E-ISSN: 2206-5857

Abstract

In Turkey, the crackdown on dissident voices following Gezi protests in 2013 and the lack of trust towards the mainstream media highlighted the need for alternative networks of information and organization. This research examines the solidarity networks that were built to address this need during the COVID-19 pandemic in five different districts of İstanbul through eleven semi-structured interviews to gain a better understanding of the current political climate of the country by examining the roots of these solidarity networks, their organization practices and the challenges that are presented to them by inner conflicts and the political economy of the country.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/joacm_00098_1
2021-10-01
2024-09-12
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Akçalı, E.. ( 2018;), ‘ Do popular assemblies contribute to genuine political change? Lessons from the Park Forums in İstanbul. ’, South European Society and Politics, 23:3, pp. 32340, https://doi.org/10.1080/14683849.2020.1850282. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Amnesty International ( 2020;), ‘ Turkey: Stifling free expression during the COVID-19 pandemic. ’, 16 June, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2020/06/turkey-stifling-free-expression-during-the-covid19-pandemic/. Accessed 22 January 2021.
  3. Anon. ( 2020a;), ‘ Türk Tabipleri Birliği: Sağlık Bakanlığı verileri gizliyor. ’, BirGün, 2 August, https://www.birgun.net/haber/turk-tabipleri-birligi-saglik-bakanligi-verileri-gizliyor-310442. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Anon. ( 2020b;), ‘ Dağıtım sorunu çözülemedi, maskeler yarından itibaren en fazla 1 liradan satılacak. ’, Evrensel, 7 May, https://www.evrensel.net/haber/404121/dagitim-sorunu-cozulemedi-maskeler-yarindan-itibaren-en-fazla-1-liradan-satilacak. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Anon. ( 2020c;), ‘ Pandemi önlemleri dışında bırakılan işçiler: Fabrikalarda çalışanlar insan değil mi?. ’, Evrensel, 3 December, https://www.evrensel.net/haber/420173/pandemi-onlemleri-disinda-birakilan-isciler-fabrikalarda-calisanlar-insan-degil-mi. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Aouragh, M.. ( 2012;), ‘ Framing the internet in the Arab revolutions: Myth meets modernity. ’, Cinema Journal, 52:1, pp. 14856.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Ayla ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 6 June.
  8. Bal, H. M., and Baruh, L.. ( 2020;), ‘ Sustainability and communication practices in grassroots movements in Turkey following Gezi Park protests: Cases of Dogancilar Park Forum, Macka Park Forum and Validebag Volunteers. ’, Journal of Alternative & Community Media, 5:1, pp. 4568, https://doi.org/10.1386/joacm_00074_1. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. BBC ( 2020;), ‘ Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: Sosyal medya mecralarının tamamen kaldırılmasını, kontrol edilmesini istiyoruz. ’, 1 July, https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-53250664. Accessed 22 January 2021.
  10. Bennett, W. L., and Segerberg, A.. ( 2012;), ‘ The logic of collective action: Information. ’, Communication & Society, 15:5, pp. 73968.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Can ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 7 June.
  12. Cammaerts, B.. ( 2012;), ‘ Protest logics and the mediation opportunity structure. ’, European Journal of Communication, 27:2, pp. 11734.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Castells, M.. ( 2007;), ‘ Communication, power and counter-power in the network society. ’, International Journal of Communication, 1, pp. 23866.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Ceren ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 10 June.
  15. Chan, M.. ( 2018;), ‘ Networked counterpublics and discursive contestation in the agonistic public sphere: Political jamming a police force Facebook page. ’, Asian Journal of Communication, 28:6, pp. 56178, https://doi.org/10.1080/01292986.2018.1466343. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Çağla ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 21 April.
  17. Çınar, M., and Arabacı, C. G.. ( 2020;), ‘ Deliberating in difficult times: Lessons from public forums in Turkey in the aftermath of the Gezi protests. ’, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 47:2, pp. 22446, https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2018.1491294. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Diani, M.. ( 2001;), ‘ Social movement networks: Virtual and real. ’, in F. Webster. (ed.), Culture and Politics in the Information Age, London:: Routledge;, pp. 11727.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Esra ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 10 June.
  20. Fenton, N.. ( 2008;), ‘ Mediating solidarity. ’, Global Media and Communication, 4:1, pp. 3757, https://doi.org/10.1177/1742766507086852. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Fraser, N.. ( 1990;), ‘ Rethinking the public sphere: A contribution to the critique of actually existing democracy. ’, Social Text, 25:26, pp. 5680, https://doi.org/10.2307/466240. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Freeman, J.. ( 1972;), ‘ The tyranny of structurelessness. ’, Berkeley Journal of Sociology, 17, pp. 15164.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Fuchs, C.. ( 2010;), ‘ Alternative media as critical media. ’, European Journal of Social Theory, 13:2, pp. 17392, https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431010362294. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Fuchs, C., and Sandoval, M.. ( 2015;), ‘ The political economy of capitalist and alternative social media. ’, in C. Atton. (ed.), The Routledge Companion to Alternative and Community Media, London:: Routledge;, pp. 16575.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Gehl, R.. ( 2015;), ‘ The case for alternative social media. ’, Social Media + Society, 1:2, pp. 112, https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305115604338. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Gerbaudo, P.. ( 2012), Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism, London:: Pluto Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Hakan ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 6 June.
  28. Harvey, D.. ( 2012), Rebel Cities: From the Right to the City to the Urban Revolution, New York:: Verso Books;.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Kapoor, I.. ( 2002;), ‘ Deliberative democracy or agonistic pluralism? The relevance of the Habermas-Mouffe debate for Third World politics. ’, Alternatives, 27:4, pp. 45987.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Kavada, A.. ( 2018;), ‘ Connective or collective? The intersection between online crowds and social movements in contemporary activism. ’, in G. Meikle. (ed.), The Routledge Companion to Media and Activism, London:: Routledge;, pp. 10816.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Kemal ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 21 June.
  32. Klein, N.. ( 2000), No Logo, New York:: Flamingo;.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Leung, D., and Lee, F.. ( 2014;), ‘ Cultivating an active online counterpublic: Examining usage and political impact of internet alternative media. ’, The International Journal of Press/Politics, 19:3, pp. 34059, https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161214530787. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Mejias, U. A.. ( 2010;), ‘ The limits of networks as models for organizing the social. ’, New Media & Society, 12:4, pp. 60317.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Melek ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 13 June.
  36. Mohan, G., and Stokke, K.. ( 2000;), ‘ Participatory development and empowerment: The dangers of localism. ’, Third World Quarterly, 21:2, pp. 24768, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3993419. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Morozov, E.. ( 2009;), ‘ From activism to slacktivism. ’, Foreign Policy, 5 September, https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/09/05/from-slacktivism-to-activism/. Accessed 10 April 2020.
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Mouffe, C.. ( 1999;), ‘ Deliberative democracy or agonistic pluralism. ’, Social Research, 66:3, pp. 74558.
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Mouffe, C.. ( 2011), On the Political, Abingdon:: Routledge;.
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Negt, O., and Kluge, A.. ( 1972), Public Sphere and Experience: Towards an Analysis of the Bourgeois and Proletarian Public Sphere, Minneapolis, MN:: University of Minnesota Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Öz, M.. ( 2016;), ‘ Mainstream media’s coverage of the Gezi protests and protesters’ perception of mainstream media. ’, Global Media and Communication, 12:2, pp. 17792, https://doi.org/10.1177/1742766516653164. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Poell, T., and Borra, E.. ( 2011;), ‘ Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr as platforms of alternative journalism: The social media account of the 2010 Toronto G20 protests. ’, Journalism, 13:6, pp. 695713, https://doi.org/10.1177/1464884911431533. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Reuters ( 2020), ‘Reuters digital news report’, https://www.digitalnewsreport.org/survey/2020/authorship-and-research-acknowledgments-2020/. Accessed 22 January 2021.
  44. Rød, E. G., and Weidmann, R. B.. ( 2015;), ‘ Empowering activists or autocrats? The internet in authoritarian regimes. ’, Journal of Peace Research, 52:3, pp. 33851, https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343314555782. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Rodríguez, C.. ( 2011), Citizens’ Media against Armed Conflict: Disrupting Violence in Colombia, Minneapolis, MN and London:: University of Minnesota Press;, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5749/j.cttttvhc. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Rodríguez, C.,, Ferron, B., and Shamas, K.. ( 2014;), ‘ Four challenges in the field of alternative, radical and citizens’ media research. ’, Media, Culture & Society, 36:2, pp. 15066, https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443714523877. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Saka, E.. ( 2014;), ‘ The AK Party’s social media strategy: Controlling the uncontrollable. ’, Turkish Review, 4:4, pp. 41823, https://www.proquest.com/openview/6e93c9055255665356bc0d961fef3669/1?cbl=2031885&parentSessionId=9kSk%2BGYDAt753Tb3d9yI8VW8OVoaqjQwTLwX4rWd9eA%3D&pq-origsite=gscholar&accountid=15955. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Saka, E.. ( 2017;), ‘ Tracking digital emergences in the aftermath of Gezi Park protests. ’, Research and Policy on Turkey, 2:1, pp. 6275, https//doi.org/10.1080/23760818.2016.1272268. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Saka, E.. ( 2018;), ‘ Social media in Turkey as a space for political battles: AKTrolls and other politically motivated trolling. ’, Middle East Critique, 27:2, pp. 16177, https://doi.org/10.1080/19436149.2018.1439271. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Tong, J.. ( 2015;), ‘ The formation of an agonistic public sphere: Emotions, the internet and news media in China. ’, China Information, 29:3, pp. 33351.
    [Google Scholar]
  51. Tufekci, Z.. ( 2017), Twitter and Tear Gas, New Haven, CT:: Yale University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  52. Urbani, S., and Watzman, N.. ( 2020;), ‘ Local collaboration is key to slowing misinformation. ’, NiemenLab Predictions for Journalism in 2021, December, https://www.niemanlab.org/2020/12/local-collaboration-is-key-to-slowing-misinformation/. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  53. Vaidhyanathan, S.. ( 2021;), ‘ Making sense of the Facebook menace. ’, The New Republic, 5 January, https://newrepublic.com/article/160661/facebook-menace-making-platform-safe-democracy. Accessed 22 January 2021.
    [Google Scholar]
  54. We Are Social ( 2020;), ‘ Digital in 2020. ’, https://wearesocial.com/digital-2020. Accessed 22 January 2021.
  55. Yener ( 2020;), Zoom conversation with D. S. Kadıoğlu. , 13 June.
  56. Kadıoğlu, Duru Su. ( 2021;), ‘ Solidarity under lockdown: Political participation practices of alternative solidarity networks in Turkey. ’, Journal of Alternative & Community Media, 6:2, pp. 12542, https://doi.org/10.1386/joacm_00098_1
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/joacm_00098_1
Loading
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error