New Media Idiocy: The Political Economy of Doing and Saying Idiotic Things in YouTube Videos

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine and discuss participatory media culture on YouTube as a new media platform, and participatory creativity or participatory performance in YouTube videos through the concept of new media idiocy. New media idiocy is both a new kind of idi-ocy and an idiocy performed in new media. The products of new media cultures and creative digital practices in new media, especially popular YouTube videos appear increasingly idiotic. This study supposes that there is a digital feedback loop between producers and viewers of YouTube videos in Turkey, and that there is a significant relationship between the digital feed-back loop that idiotic things circulated on internet through YouTube videos induce and the po-litical economy of doing and saying idiotic things in those videos. In this article, idiotic YouTube videos as its case studies are analyzed by using method of qualitative content analysis. As a result, it seems that there is a connection between the idiocy in new media and the circulation of emotional intensities in online affect economy or affective economy in Turkey.

Keywords

• New media
• idiocy
• YouTube
• digital feedback loop
• political economy
• turkey

Yeni Medya Aptallığı: YouTube Videolarında Aptalca Şeyler Yapmanın ve Söylemenin Ekonomi Politiği

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, yeni medya aptallığı kavramı aracılığıyla yeni medya platformu olarak YouTube’daki katılımcı medya kültürünü ve YouTube videolarındaki katılımcı üretkenliği ya da katılımcı performansı incelemek ve tartışmaktır. Yeni medya aptallığı hem aptallığın yeni bir türüdür hem de yeni medyada sahnelenen bir aptallıktır. Yeni medya kültürlerinin ve yeni medyadaki kreatif dijital pratiklerin ürünleri, özellikle popüler YouTube videoları her geçen gün çok daha fazla aptalca görünmektedir. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de YouTube videolarının üreticileri ile izleyicileri arasında bir dijital geribildirim döngüsünün var olduğunu ve YouTube videoları aracılığıyla internette dolaşıma sokulan aptalca şeylerin neden olduğu dijital geribildirim döngüsü ile bu videolarda aptalca şeyler yapmanın ve söylemenin ekonomi politiği arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğunu varsaymaktadır. Bu makalede örnek olay çalışmaları olarak aptalca YouTube videoları niteliksel içerik çözümlemesi yöntemi aracılığıyla çözümlenmektedir. Sonuç olarak Türkiye’de yeni medyadaki aptallık ile çevrimiçi duygu ekonomisindeki ya da duygulanımsal ekonomideki duygusal yoğunlukların dolaşımı arasında bir bağlantı olduğu görülmektedir.

Keywords

• Yeni medya
• aptallık
• YouTube
• dijital geribildirim döngüsü
• ekonomi politik
• Türkiye

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