Digital Feminism and Women’s Resistance Practices: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Feminist X (Formerly Twitter) Accounts in Turkey

Abstract

This study examines digital feminism phenomenon in Turkey and how women’s practices of resistance against patriarchy are shaped based on sharing trends on the X platform. Drawing on data from three feminist X accounts which selected based number of followers and platform activity/regular content sharing criteria, the online activities of actors who produce and disseminate feminist content in Turkey were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The posts of selected feminist accounts and hashtag campaigns were analyzed through content analysis; emerging themes, engagement statistics, and trending topics over time were identified. According to the Kruskal Wallis test, the KCDP, KADAV, and EŞİK accounts which are active on X show statistically significant differences in terms of comment, retweet, like, and view rates (p<0.05). The themes that generated the highest engagement were identified as femicide, body and health policies, and male violence and patriarchal domination. Content analysis showed that emerging themes include gender-based violence and rights violations, feminist collective action and solidarity, legal rights and political struggle, economic and health-related inequalities, education and empowerment, and women during times of crisis. The feminist discourse produced on digital platforms has created a new public space for the struggle for gender equality, and that online solidarity has translated into concrete actions. In this respect, this study reveals the current state of digital feminism in Turkey and is among the limited number of studies that simultaneously consider engagement metrics, trends, and content on the X platform, aiming to lay the groundwork for future research.

Keywords

• Digital Feminism
• Gender Sociology
• Women’s Resistance
• Social Media Activism
• X Platform.

Dijital Feminizm ve Kadın Direnişi Pratikleri: Türkiye’deki Feminist X (Eski Adıyla Twitter) Hesapları Üzerine Karma Yöntemli Bir Analiz

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de dijital feminizm olgusunu ve kadınların ataerkiye karşı direniş pratiklerinin, X platformundaki paylaşım trendleri temelinde nasıl biçimlendiğini incelemektedir. Takipçi sayısı ve platformda aktif olma/düzenli paylaşım kriterleri doğrultusunda seçilen üç feminist X hesabından elde edilen veriler ışığında, Türkiye’de feminist içerik üreten ve paylaşan öznelerin çevrimiçi etkinlikleri nitel ve nicel yöntemlerle analiz edilmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında belirlenen feminist hesapların ve hashtag kampanyalarının paylaşımları içerik analiziyle incelenmiş; ortaya çıkan temalar, etkileşim istatistikleri ve zaman içinde trend olan konular saptanmıştır. Kruskal Wallis testine göre X’te aktif olan KCDP, KADAV ve EŞİK hesapları; yorum, retweet, beğeni ve görüntülenme oranları bakımından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılıklar göstermektedir (p<0.05). Trendlere bakıldığında en fazla etkileşimin yaratıldığı temaların kadın cinayetleri, beden ve sağlık politikaları, erkek şiddeti ve toplumsal tahakküm olduğu belirlenmiştir. İçerik analizine göre; cinsiyete dayalı şiddet ve hak ihlalleri, feminist kolektif eylem ve dayanışma, yasal haklar ve politik mücadele, ekonomik ve sağlık temelli eşitsizlikler, eğitim ve güçlenme, kriz döneminde kadınlar temaları ortaya çıkmıştır. Dijital platformlarda üretilen feminist söylem, toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliği mücadelesine yeni bir kamusal alan açmış ve çevrimiçi dayanışmanın somut eylemlere dönüşmüştür. Bu yönüyle çalışma, dijital feminizmin Türkiye’deki güncel durumunu ortaya koyarken, X platformunda etkileşim metriklerinin, trendlerin ve içeriklerin bir arada alındığı sınırlı sayıdaki çalışmalardan olup gelecekteki araştırmalara zemin hazırlamayı hedeflemiştir.

Keywords

• Dijital Feminizm
• Toplumsal Cinsiyet Sosyolojisi
• Kadın Direnişi
• Sosyal Medya Aktivizmi
• X Platformu.

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