ÇOCUKLUK MASUMİYETİ İLE DİJİTAL ENDÜSTRİ ARASINDA: KIDFLUENCERLIĞIN UYGUNLUĞUNU YENİDEN DÜŞÜNMEK

Öz

Kidfluencing, çocukların aracılık ettiği görünürlüğünün platform ekonomileri içinde sistematik olarak metalaştırıldığı yeni bir dijital emek biçimini temsil etmektedir. Medya kapitalizmi, görünmez dijital emek ve çocuk haklarının kesişim noktasında yer alan bu çalışma, 2025 itibariyle Türk televizyon dizilerinde rol alan çocuk oyuncuların Instagram profillerinin içerik analizi yoluyla çocuk kişiliklerinin ticarileştirilmesine yönelik eleştirel bir inceleme sunmaktadır. Karma yöntemler tasarımını kullanan çalışma, takipçi metrikleri, gönderi sıklığı ve sponsorlu içeriğin yaygınlığı ve sektörel dağılımı gibi nicel göstergeleri niteliksel yorumlayıcı içgörülerle birleştirmektedir. Veriler, 25 çocuk oyuncunun halka açık Instagram hesaplarından elde edilmiştir; insan deneklerin dahil olmaması nedeniyle etik kurul onayı gerekmemiştir. Sonuçlar, bu çocukların yalnızca senaryolu anlatılarda oyuncu olarak değil, kimlikleri dijital platformlarda sürekli olarak küratörlüğü yapılan ve paraya dönüştürülen mikro markalar olarak da işlev gördüklerini ortaya koymaktadır. Sosyal medya katılımları, algoritmik olarak yönlendirilen dikkat ekonomilerinin bir parçası olarak, duygusal ve maddi olmayan emeğin bir uzantısı olarak işlev görmektedir. Dijital çağda çocukluk, emek ve metalaşma arasındaki yapısal bağlantıları ön plana çıkararak, bu çalışma çocukların dijital hakları, platformların hesap verebilirliği ve medya yönetişimi konularını ele alan sağlam düzenleyici çerçevelerin acil ihtiyacını vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çocuk influencer
• dijital çocukluk
• sosyal medya
• çocuk hakları
• dijital emek

BETWEEN CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE AND DIGITAL INDUSTRY: RETHINKING THE APPROPRIATENESS OF KIDFLUENCERS

Öz

Kidfluencing epitomizes an emergent form of digital labor wherein children's mediated visibility is systematically commodified within platform economies. Situated at the intersection of media capitalism, invisible digital labor, and children's rights, this study offers a critical inquiry into the commercialization of child personas through a content-analytical examination of the Instagram profiles of child actors featured in Turkish television series as of 2025. Utilizing a mixed-methods design, the study integrates quantitative indicators—such as follower metrics, post frequency, and the prevalence and sectoral distribution of sponsored content—with qualitative interpretive insights. Data were extracted exclusively from publicly accessible Instagram accounts of 25 child actors; given the non-involvement of human subjects, ethical board approval was not required. The analysis reveals that these children function not merely as performers within scripted narratives but as micro-brands whose identities are continuously curated and monetized across digital platforms. Their social media engagement operates as an extension of affective and immaterial labor, embedded within algorithmically driven economies of attention. By foregrounding the structural entanglements between childhood, labor, and commodification in the digital age, this study underscores the urgent need for robust regulatory frameworks addressing children’s digital rights, platform accountability, and media governance.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kidfluencer
• digital childhood
• social media
• children’s right
• digital labor

Kaynakça

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