Digital Activism: An Analysis of Change.Org Campaigns in Turkey
Articles > Article · 2019
Authors: Şadiye Emet GÜREL, Azra Kardelen NAZLI
Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, International Refereed University Journal, International, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM), 2019, vol 19, pp 187-206
Summary
<p class="Body" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:12.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height: 200%;tab-stops:58.5pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The Internet and new communication technologies are among the most important topics of the modern world. The Internet is considered an effective catalyzer of social change and is establishing a new order by changing work and the way it is done. All events and phenomena on life exist on this platform that is peculiar to this new world. The Internet serves as a channel for activism. In its simplest definition, activism is an act that is nourished from the individuals and societies’ hope for a better and more desirable world. The new understanding of activism known as </span><span lang="ES-TRAD" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD">digital activism</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> refers to activities performed on digital media to realize social changes that individuals and organizations want. Social change activities through digital activism contain notions and activities such as </span><i><span lang="NL" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language:NL">slactivism</span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">, clicktivism, advocacy, hashtag activism, </span></i><i><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language:DE">hacktivism</span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">,</span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> information activism, maptivism, </span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">and<i> apptivism</i>. Reaching large masses easily and quickly, letting many people speak out, performing in different ways and methods, cross sharing on social media channels allow digital activism to enlarge each and every day. This study focuses on digital activism and aims to analyze this concept in Change.org campaigns. The study is designed in a qualitative method and is a descriptive analysis as a format. The data was interpreted in specific</span><span lang="IT" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height: 200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:IT"> categories</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> and deductions were made about digital activism reflecting details regarding the findings in this study’s </span><span lang="IT" style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:IT">conclusion</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">, which ends with the reflections on digital activism in Turkey and recommendations for future researches.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p><p class="Body" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:6.0pt; margin-left:0cm;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;line-height: 200%"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt; line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Keywords:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:200%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> Activism, digital activism, Change.org.<o:p></o:p></span></p>