The GameStop case: An analysis within the framework of subcultures and social identity

Öz

The rise of new communication technologies has caused significant changes in different fields, including the transformation of social movements. Collective actions in digital environments have facilitated the emergence of new social movements. This study, in particular, discusses the GameStop case as an example of a new social movement within the framework of subculture identity development and activities in the cultural field, as well as discussions on social identity, deindividuation, and social deviance. We used semiological analysis to examine the five most popular memes shared by the wallstreetbets group on Reddit, where the Gamestop case took place. The research findings show that the wallstreetbets group has a common digital language and uses symbolic expressions that are meaningful only to members of the group. Users experience a sense of belonging to the group, unite to carry out a digital movement towards a shared goal, make their group membership an important part of their identities, and thus carry out the actions that made the GameStop incident a success. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate the GameStop case from the perspective of the theories mentioned above. Given the lack of Turkish scholarly research on the topic, this article contributes to the field by discussing the GameStop case from both communication and social psychology perspectives.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• GameStop
• Reddit
• Wallstreetbets
• New Social Movements
• Subcultures

GameStop olayı: Alt kültür ve sosyal kimlik çerçevesinde bir inceleme

Öz

Yeni iletişim teknolojilerinin yükselişi, farklı alanlarda oldukça büyük değişimler yaşanmasına neden olmuştur ve dönüşüme uğrayan alanlardan biri de toplumsal hareketlerdir. Dijital ortamlar üzerinden gerçekleştirilen kolektif eylemler, yeni toplumsal hareketlerin ortaya çıkmasını sağlamıştır. Bu çalışmada GameStop hareketi, bir yeni toplumsal hareket örneği olarak alt kültürlerin kimlik oluşumu ve kültürel alandaki etkinliklerinin yanı sıra sosyal kimlik, kimlik belirsizliği ve sosyal sapkınlık tartışmaları çerçevesinde ele alınmıştır. Göstergebilim yöntemi ile GameStop hareketinin gerçekleştirildiği sosyal medya platformu olan Reddit üzerinden paylaşılan ve platformun wallstreetbets isimli grubunda en çok etkileşim alan beş esprili görsel (meme) çözümlenmiştir. Araştırmanın bulguları; wallstreetbets grubunun ortak bir dijital dile sahip olması, üyelerinin yalnızca kendi gruplarına ait bireyler için anlam taşıyan sembolik ifadeler kullanmaları, grup aidiyeti yaşamaları ve birbirlerinden farklı bireyler olarak bir araya gelerek ortak bir amaç doğrultusunda dijital bir toplumsal hareket gerçekleştirmeleri sebebiyle GameStop olayının yukarıda bahsedilen kuramlar üzerinden değerlendirebileceğini göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak, grup üyelerinin ortak bir mizah diliyle ortak hedefleri için esprili görsel paylaşımları yaptıkları, bu yolla bir gruba ait olma duygusunu pekiştirdikleri, grup üyeliklerini kimliklerinin önemli bir parçası hâline getirdikleri ve böylelikle GameStop olayının başarıya ulaşmasını sağlayan eylemleri gerçekleştirdikleri anlaşılmaktadır. İlgili alanda Türkçe literatürde çok sayıda araştırma olmaması ve olayın hem iletişim hem de sosyal psikoloji perspektifinden değerlendirilmiş olması sebebiyle özgün bir çalışma olarak alana katkı sağlayabileceği düşünülmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• GameStop
• Reddit
• Wallstreetbets
• Yeni Toplumsal Hareketler
• Altkültürler

Kaynakça

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