Provocative Marketing in the Algerian Digital Environment: An Expert-Based Qualitative Study of Negative Amplificatory Interaction

Öz

This qualitative study explores how academics and postgraduate researchers from relevant disciplines interpret the relationship between provocative marketing, negative engagement, and algorithmic visibility in the Algerian digital environment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with fourteen purposively selected participants from media and communication studies, sociology, psychology, law, and economics. The interview data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants commonly associated engagement with provocative content with emotional reactivity, publicly expressed value rigidity, and limited awareness of how platform recommendation systems may process measurable engagement. They also perceived critical, sarcastic, or hostile comments as potentially contributing to the circulation of content that users intended to oppose. Some participants interpreted controversy-based communication as a deliberate visibility strategy, whereas others regarded it as an initially spontaneous practice reinforced by audience attention. The findings represent participant perceptions and do not directly establish the behaviour of Algerian users or the causal operation of TikTok's recommendation system. The study highlights the need for further research combining interviews with user studies, systematic content analysis, and platform-level engagement data.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• provocative marketing
• negative engagement
• algorithmic awareness
• digital collective behaviour
• TikTok
• Algeria

Destekleyen Kurum

University of Oran 1 Ahmed Ben Bella, Faculty of Human Sciences, Department of Media and Communication Sciences, Oran, Algeria

Etik Beyan

This research involved qualitative interviews with academic experts who were fully informed of the study's purpose and provided their prior consent. To maintain strict ethical standards and protect participant privacy, all identities have been anonymized and treated with full confidentiality. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools were utilized exclusively for language editing, translation refinement, and improving grammatical flow; however, the core intellectual content and data analysis remain the original work of the author, who assumes full responsibility for the integrity of the final manuscript.

Cezayir Dijital Ortamında Provokatif Pazarlama: Negatif Güçlendirici Etkileşim Üzerine Uzman Görüşlerine Dayalı Nitel Bir Çalışma

Öz

Bu nitel çalışma, ilgili disiplinlerden akademisyenlerin ve lisansüstü araştırmacıların Cezayir dijital ortamındaki provokatif pazarlama, negatif etkileşim ve algoritmik görünürlük arasındaki ilişkiyi nasıl yorumladıklarını incelemektedir. Veriler, medya ve iletişim çalışmaları, sosyoloji, psikoloji, hukuk ve iktisat alanlarından amaçlı örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilen on dört katılımcıyla gerçekleştirilen yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler aracılığıyla toplanmıştır. Görüşme verileri refleksif tematik analiz yöntemi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Katılımcılar genel olarak provokatif içerikle etkileşimi; duygusal tepkisellik, kamusal alanda ifade edilen değer katılığı ve platform tavsiye sistemlerinin ölçülebilir etkileşimi nasıl işleyebileceğine dair sınırlı farkındalık ile ilişkilendirmiştir. Ayrıca katılımcılar, eleştirel, alaycı veya düşmanca yorumların, kullanıcıların aslında karşı çıkmak istedikleri içeriğin yayılımına potansiyel olarak katkıda bulunabileceğini düşünmüştür. Bazı katılımcılar tartışma odaklı iletişimi kasıtlı bir görünürlük stratejisi olarak yorumlarken, diğerleri bunu başlangıçta kendiliğinden ortaya çıkan ve sonrasında izleyici ilgisiyle pekişen bir uygulama olarak değerlendirmiştir. Bulgular, katılımcı algılarını temsil etmekte olup Cezayirli kullanıcıların davranışlarını veya TikTok'un tavsiye sisteminin nedensel işleyişini doğrudan ortaya koymamaktadır. Çalışma, görüşmelerin kullanıcı çalışmaları, sistematik içerik analizi ve platform düzeyindeki etkileşim verileriyle birleştirileceği ileri araştırmalara duyulan ihtiyacı vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• provokatif pazarlama
• negatif etkileşim
• algoritmik farkındalık
• dijital kolektif davranış
• TikTok
• Cezayir

Kaynakça

1. Abainia, K. (2024). The online behaviour of the Algerian abusers in social media networks. In M. D. Borah, D. S. Laiphrakpam, N. Auluck, & V. E. Balas (Eds.), Big data, machine learning, and applications (Vol. 1053, pp. 675–687). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-3481-2_52
2. Abbassa, A. (2024). The role of media content on private Algerian television channels in promoting a culture of pride in Algerian competencies: An analytical study of the program Life Taught Me. El Mohtaref Journal, 11(3), 267–282. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/255393 [In Arabic]
3. Abbassa, A. (2026). Algorithmic imperialism and digital resistance: A case study of TikTok and the mechanisms of control over the Palestinian narrative post-October 2023. Revue Zaouli, 13(3), 793–825. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21325005
4. Abbassa, A., & Lassoued, A. (2026). Violent values in cartoon content production: An analytical study of a sample of posts from the Cartoon Box page on Facebook. Journal of Studies in Language, Culture and Society, 9(1), 49–66. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/291975 [In Arabic]
5. Adnane, H. (2023). The impact of Algerian influencers on consumer behavior. Administrative and Financial Sciences Review, 7(1), 487–501. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/228272 [In Arabic]
6. Aguzzoli, R., Lengler, J., Miller, S. R., & Chidlow, A. (2024). Paradigms in qualitative IB research: Trends, analysis and recommendations. Management International Review, 64(2), 165–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11575-024-00529-5
7. Bandy, J., & Diakopoulos, N. (2020). #TulsaFlop: A case study of algorithmically influenced collective action on TikTok. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2012.07716
8. Beer, D. (2017). The social power of algorithms. Information, Communication & Society, 20(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1216147

9. Bouafia, M. (2025). Effect of neuromarketing strategies on consumer behavior: Case study of Algerian sports audiences. Sport System Journal, 12(2), 205–225. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/275189 [In Arabic]
10. boyd, d. (2010). Social network sites as networked publics: Affordances, dynamics, and implications. In Z. Papacharissi (Ed.), A networked self: Identity, community, and culture on social network sites (pp. 39–58). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203876527-8
11. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
12. Bucher, T. (2018). If...then: Algorithmic power and politics. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190493028.001.0001
13. Burton, J. W., Lopez-Lopez, E., Hechtlinger, S., Rahwan, Z., Aeschbach, S., Bakker, M. A., Becker, J. A., Berditchevskaia, A., Berger, J., Brinkmann, L., Flek, L., Herzog, S. M., Huang, S., Kapoor, S., Narayanan, A., Nussberger, A.-M., Yasseri, T., Nickl, P., Almaatouq, A., ... Hertwig, R. (2024). How large language models can reshape collective intelligence. Nature Human Behaviour, 8(9), 1643–1655. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01959-9
14. Byrne, D. (2022). A worked example of Braun and Clarke's approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & Quantity, 56(3), 1391–1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01182-y
15. Disa. (2025, February 4). Algerian social media users' experiences with online misinformation and disinformation. https://disa.org/algerian-social-media-users-experiences-with-online-misinformation-and-disinformation/
16. Fitri, D. S., & Ananta, Y. (2025). TikTok algorithm in fast beauty product marketing: Influencing consumer behavior of the digital generation. Greenation International Journal of Engineering Science, 2(4), 192–199. https://doi.org/10.38035/gijes.v2i4
17. Foley, J. (2024a). 4 times big brands roasted each other. Creative Bloq. https://www.creativebloq.com/news/best-brand-fights
18. Foley, J. (2024b). This iconic retro Pepsi ad hilariously trolled Coca-Cola. Creative Bloq. https://www.creativebloq.com/creative-inspiration/advertising/this-clever-ad-was-the-one-time-pepsis-trolling-of-coca-cola-was-actually-funny
19. Gerbaudo, P. (2024). TikTok and the algorithmic transformation of social media publics: From social networks to social interest clusters. New Media & Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241304106
20. Gillespie, T. (2014). The relevance of algorithms. In T. Gillespie, P. J. Boczkowski, & K. A. Foot (Eds.), Media technologies: Essays on communication, materiality, and society (pp. 167–194). MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262525374.003.0009
21. Hassoun, A., Beacock, I., Carmody, T., Kelley, P. G., Goldberg, B., Kumar, D., Murray, L., Park, R. S., Sarmadi, B., & Consolvo, S. (2025). Beyond digital literacy: Building youth digital resilience through existing "information sensibility" practices. Social Sciences, 14(4), Article 230. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14040230
22. Heimbach, I., Abramova, O., Baumann, A., Krasnova, H., Jussupow, E., Legner, C., Meythaler, A., Müller, O., & Pinski, M. (2026). Algorithmic literacy: A compass to successfully navigate the algorithm-driven world? Business & Information Systems Engineering, 68(2), 465–471. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-025-00984-w
23. Jung, J., Yoon, S.-H., Kengesbay, D., & Lee, S. K. (2025). Qualitative comparison between TikTok and YouTube. International Journal of Contents, 21(1), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.5392/IJoC.2025.21.1.023
24. Lévy, P. (1997). Collective intelligence: Mankind's emerging world in cyberspace. Perseus Books. Lounes, L., & Atoui, M. (2025). Facebook ads and Algerian consumer buying behavior: Analyzing the key determinants of ad value. Journal for Educators, Teachers and Trainers, 16(1), 156–165. https://jett.labosfor.com/index.php/jett/article/view/2651
25. Madi, I., Telli, M., & Mosbah, S. (2025). Survey on the impact of digital marketing on Algerian consumer purchase decisions. The International Tax Journal, 52(5), 2302–2310. https://internationaltaxjournal.online/index.php/itj/article/view/240
26. Maiza, S. (2025). Social media users' attitudes toward digital content creators in Algeria: A field study on a sample of digital content followers. Journal of Science and Knowledge Horizons, 5(1), 516–538. https://doi.org/10.34118/jskp.v5i01.4270
27. Meslem, H., & Abbaci, A. (2023). Empirical study on digital storytelling as a communication strategy among Algerian social network users. Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, 6(1), 749–762. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/217041 [In Arabic]
28. Metzler, H., & Garcia, D. (2024). Social drivers and algorithmic mechanisms on digital media. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 19(5), 735–748. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916231185057
29. Obreja, D. M. (2024). When stories turn institutional: How TikTok users legitimate algorithmic sensemaking. Social Media + Society, 10, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231224114
30. Rahab, H., Zitouni, A., & Djoudi, M. (2021). SANA: Sentiment analysis on newspapers comments in Algeria. Journal of King Saud University – Computer and Information Sciences, 33(7), 899–907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jksuci.2019.04.012
31. Ramzi, D., & El-Bekri, A. K. (2024). Commercial advertising algorithms and guiding Algerian consumer behavior through social media. Management & Economics Research Journal, 6(2), 298–315. https://asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/247044 [In Arabic]
32. Ridley, M., & Pawlick-Potts, D. (2021). Algorithmic literacy and the role for libraries. Information Technology and Libraries, 40(2). https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v40i2.12963
33. Sano, Y., Takayasu, H., Havlin, S., & Takayasu, M. (2019). Identifying long-term periodic cycles and memories of collective emotion in online social media. PLOS ONE, 14(3), Article e0213843. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213843
34. Shteynberg, G., Hirsh, J. B., Wolf, W., Bargh, J. A., Boothby, E. J., Colman, A. M., Echterhoff, G., & Rossignac-Milon, M. (2023). Theory of collective mind. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 27(11), 1019–1031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2023.06.009
35. Tian, M. (2024). Research on the dimension of algorithmic consciousness composition and construction of evaluation framework in the age of digital intelligence. In Proceedings of the 24th ITS Biennial Conference. International Telecommunications Society. https://hdl.handle.net/10419/302488
36. Weick, K. E., & Roberts, K. H. (1993). Collective mind in organizations: Heedful interrelating on flight decks. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38(3), 357–381. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393372
37. Zitouni, Z. M., & Benazzouzi, B. (2024). The role of fake news on media channels in evoking emotions with a sample of Algerian students. Psychology and Education Journal, 61(11), 354–364. https://psychologyandeducation.net/pae/index.php/pae/article/view/9490 [In Arabic]