THE ANATOMY OF DIGITAL HATE: A THREE-DIMENSIONAL COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF ANTI-IMMIGRANT RHETORIC ON THE X PLATFORM

Abstract

Social media discourse targeting Syrian refugees in Turkey draws attention as an area where social polarization and identity-based conflicts are reproduced in the digital sphere. The problem addressed in this study is that, while this discourse has been examined in the existing literature using qualitative and limited data, its large-scale and dynamic structure on social media has not been sufficiently mapped. The aim of the research is to empirically reveal the processes of polarization and othering in the digital public sphere by mapping the thematic, emotional, and chronological dimensions of discourse on Syrian refugees using a large dataset covering the period from December 2022 to November 2024 on the X (Twitter) platform. In this regard, topic modeling, machine learning-based hate speech analysis, and multi-label sentiment analysis were applied to Turkish posts collected using keywords such as “migration,” “migrant,” “refugee,” and “Syrian.” The findings reveal two main frameworks shaped around the Syria-migrant axis, which forms the thematic core of the discourse: “victimization” and “threat.” The fact that 99.4% of the analyzed content contains hate speech and that the dominant emotions are anger and fear reveals the toxic nature of discussions in the digital sphere. Additionally, it was found that over time, the discourse shifted from foreign policy and humanitarian aid to internal security and crime themes; while external crises such as earthquakes brought a short-term humanitarian perspective, the discourse quickly returned to a negative framework. The findings were discussed within the framework of Tajfel and Turner's Social Identity Theory, leading to the conclusion that the “us-them” distinction and perceived threats fuel hate speech. In this regard, the study also empirically demonstrates that digital platforms can become echo chambers that exacerbate social polarization.

Keywords

• Social Media
• Migration
• Text Mining
• Social Identity Theory
• Discourse Analysis

DİJİTAL NEFRETİN ANATOMİSİ: X PLATFORMUNDAKİ GÖÇMEN KARŞITI SÖYLEMİN ÜÇ BOYUTLU HESAPLANMALI ANALİZİ

Abstract

Türkiye’de Suriyeli göçmenlere yönelik sosyal medya söylemleri, toplumsal kutuplaşmanın ve kimlik temelli çatışmaların dijital düzlemde yeniden üretildiği bir alan olarak dikkat çekmektedir. Çalışmanın problemi, mevcut literatürde genellikle nitel ve sınırlı veriyle incelenen bu söylemlerin, sosyal medyada geniş ölçekli ve dinamik yapısının yeterince haritalanamamış olmasıdır. Araştırmanın amacı, X (Twitter) platformunda Aralık 2022-Kasım 2024 dönemini kapsayan büyük bir veri seti üzerinde, Suriyeli göçmenlere dair söylemlerin tematik, duygusal ve kronolojik haritasını çıkararak, dijital kamusal alandaki kutuplaşma ve ötekileştirme süreçlerini ampirik olarak ortaya koymaktır. Bu doğrultuda, “göç”, “göçmen”, “sığınmacı”, “Suriyeli” gibi anahtar kelimelerle toplanan Türkçe paylaşımlar üzerinde konu modellemesi, makine öğrenmesi tabanlı nefret söylemi analizi ve çok etiketli duygu analizi uygulanmıştır. Bulgular, söylemin tematik çekirdeğini oluşturan Suriye-göçmen ekseni etrafında şekillenen iki ana çerçeveyi ortaya koymuştur: “Mağduriyet” ve “Tehdit”. Analiz edilen içeriklerin %99,4’ünün nefret söylemi içermesi ve baskın duyguların öfke ile korku olması, dijital alandaki tartışmaların toksik yapısını ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, söylemin zamanla dış politika ve insani yardımdan, iç güvenlik ve suç temalarına evrildiği; deprem gibi dışsal krizlerin ise kısa süreli insani bakış açısı getirse de söylemin hızla olumsuz çerçeveye döndüğü tespit edilmiştir. Bulgular, Tajfel ve Turner’ın Sosyal Kimlik Kuramı çerçevesinde tartışılarak “biz-onlar” ayrımının ve algılanan tehditlerin nefret söylemini beslediği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bu yönüyle çalışma, dijital platformların toplumsal kutuplaşmayı şiddetlendiren yankı odaları haline gelebileceğini de ampirik olarak ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• Sosyal Medya
• Göç
• Metin Madenciliği
• Sosyal Kimlik Kuramı
• Söylem Analizi

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