Research Article

The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey

Number: 32 May 31, 2019
TR EN

The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey

An Erratum to this article was published on June 30, 2024. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/turcom/article/1509685

Abstract

There is currently a considerable degree of discussion focusing on the relationship between social

movements and digital platforms. This paper investigates the role played by several social media platforms

(Twitter and Facebook) in the coup attempt in Turkey on July 15th, 2016. It includes an analysis of web

content to establish ways to understand the usage of social and digital media by Turkish citizens on the July

15 coup. The research uses qualitative content analysis, including: (1) an examination of tweets and trending

hashtags on Twitter; and (2) an examination of Facebook pages and groups, including photographs, videos

and comments. This study indicates that Twitter and Facebook played a vital role in the resistance of citizens

against the coup attempt, which was organised by the Gulenist terrorist organisation, through the provision

of effective communication between activists, along with their effective mobilisation and the process of

establishing a common identity. The study also demonstrates how photographs and videos shared on social

websites became positive motivators both during and following the 15th of July coup attempt.

Keywords

References

  1. Akin, A., 2017. Conditions of sense making and news making in Turkey after the failed coup attempt: Sisyphus labor on two fronts. Journalism, 18(4), pp.518-532.
  2. Baban, E. and Güzel, E., 2015. Digital Activism and Social Movements: How the World perceives the Gezi Movement. Amity Journal of Media & Communications Studies (AJMCS), 5.
  3. Banko, M. and Babaoğlan, A.R., 2013. Gezi Parkı sürecine dijital vatandaş'ın etkisi ‘’Digital citizenship affects Gezi park process’’. M. Banko & AR Babaoğlan.Beaumont, P., 2011. The truth about Twitter, Facebook and the uprisings in the Arab world. The Guardian, [Online]. Available at; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/feb/25/twitter-facebook-uprisings-arab-libya [Accessed; 15 June 2017].
  4. Bennett, W.L. and Segerberg, A., 2012. The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), pp.739-768.
  5. Bozkurt, A., 2013. Sosyal Medyanın “Gezi” deki Rolü ‘’The role of Social media in Gezi’’. Bilişim Dergisi, 41(156), pp.50-98.
  6. Cagaptay, S. and Jeffrey, J.F., 2016. Inside Turkey’s Failed Coup: What Happened?, Why?, What Next?. [Online]. Available at; http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policyanalysis/view/inside-turkeys-failed-coup-what-happened-why-what-next [Accessed; 02 June 2017].
  7. Castells, M., 2015. Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the Internet age. John Wiley & Sons.
  8. Castells, M.M.N., 2009. Communication power, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Communication and Media Studies

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

May 31, 2019

Submission Date

November 1, 2018

Acceptance Date

February 21, 2019

Published in Issue

Year 2019 Number: 32

APA
Demirdiş, S. (2019). The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 32, 32-49. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.477180
AMA
1.Demirdiş S. The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey. TURCOM. 2019;(32):32-49. doi:10.17829/turcom.477180
Chicago
Demirdiş, Semra. 2019. “The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, nos. 32: 32-49. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.477180.
EndNote
Demirdiş S (May 1, 2019) The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi 32 32–49.
IEEE
[1]S. Demirdiş, “The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey”, TURCOM, no. 32, pp. 32–49, May 2019, doi: 10.17829/turcom.477180.
ISNAD
Demirdiş, Semra. “The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi. 32 (May 1, 2019): 32-49. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.477180.
JAMA
1.Demirdiş S. The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey. TURCOM. 2019;:32–49.
MLA
Demirdiş, Semra. “The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey”. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. 32, May 2019, pp. 32-49, doi:10.17829/turcom.477180.
Vancouver
1.Semra Demirdiş. The Role of Facebook and Twitter in Social Movements: A Study on the July 15 Coup Attempt in Turkey. TURCOM. 2019 May 1;(32):32-49. doi:10.17829/turcom.477180

Cited By

All articles published in the Turkish Review of Communication Studies are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.