Affective Polarization in Online Reactions to Turkey’s 2024  Stray Animal Law

Betül Çınar; Enes Polat; Çağın Berke İspir

Makale detayları

Affective Polarization in Online Reactions to Turkey’s 2024 Stray Animal Law

Yazarlar:

Betül Çınar | Enes Polat | Çağın Berke İspir

Yayıncı:

İdeal Kent Yayınları

Ana Başlıklar:

İnternet | Sosyal Medya Çalışmaları | Sosyal Biliş

Dergi:

OPUS Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.22 Issue 4, pp.832-846

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355514

pISSN:

2791-9862

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 This study analyzed social media reactions to the stray animals law enacted in Turkey in 2024 at an emotional and discursive level. The main purpose of the study was to reveal how supportive and opposing views on the law were structured in the context of social identity and affective polarization. A total of 2,178 entries were collected from Ekşi Sözlük, labeled as supportive, opposing, and neutral, and analyzed through discourse strategy and emotional tone assessments. The findings show that the supporter group used a shorter, more analytical, and security-oriented language, while the opposing group adopted a longer, emotionally expressive discourse grounded in moral and conscientious values. According to the VAD analysis, the opposing group displayed higher valence and greater emotional diversity, whereas the supporter group reflected a more distant emotional tone with lower valence and dominance scores. Rhetorical analysis revealed that logos was more prominent in the supporter group, while ethos dominated in the opposing group. Both groups described the opposing side using exclusionary language, which indicates that social identity boundaries were reinforced through discourse. These findings suggest that emotional and rhetorical practices in digital debates over public policy do not merely reflect individual opinions, but also help construct group identities. The study contributes to the literature by showing how emotional and identity-based factors shape group positions and language use in public debates, particularly in a local context.

 This study analyzed social media reactions to the stray animals law enacted in Turkey in 2024 at an emotional and discursive level. The main purpose of the study was to reveal how supportive and opposing views on the law were structured in the context of social identity and affective polarization. A total of 2,178 entries were collected from Ekşi Sözlük, labeled as supportive, opposing, and neutral, and analyzed through discourse strategy and emotional tone assessments. The findings show that the supporter group used a shorter, more analytical, and security-oriented language, while the opposing group adopted a longer, emotionally expressive discourse grounded in moral and conscientious values. According to the VAD analysis, the opposing group displayed higher valence and greater emotional diversity, whereas the supporter group reflected a more distant emotional tone with lower valence and dominance scores. Rhetorical analysis revealed that logos was more prominent in the supporter group, while ethos dominated in the opposing group. Both groups described the opposing side using exclusionary language, which indicates that social identity boundaries were reinforced through discourse. These findings suggest that emotional and rhetorical practices in digital debates over public policy do not merely reflect individual opinions, but also help construct group identities. The study contributes to the literature by showing how emotional and identity-based factors shape group positions and language use in public debates, particularly in a local context.

 This study analyzed social media reactions to the stray animals law enacted in Turkey in 2024 at an emotional and discursive level. The main purpose of the study was to reveal how supportive and opposing views on the law were structured in the context of social identity and affective polarization. A total of 2,178 entries were collected from Ekşi Sözlük, labeled as supportive, opposing, and neutral, and analyzed through discourse strategy and emotional tone assessments. The findings show that the supporter group used a shorter, more analytical, and security-oriented language, while the opposing group adopted a longer, emotionally expressive discourse grounded in moral and conscientious values. According to the VAD analysis, the opposing group displayed higher valence and greater emotional diversity, whereas the supporter group reflected a more distant emotional tone with lower valence and dominance scores. Rhetorical analysis revealed that logos was more prominent in the supporter group, while ethos dominated in the opposing group. Both groups described the opposing side using exclusionary language, which indicates that social identity boundaries were reinforced through discourse. These findings suggest that emotional and rhetorical practices in digital debates over public policy do not merely reflect individual opinions, but also help construct group identities. The study contributes to the literature by showing how emotional and identity-based factors shape group positions and language use in public debates, particularly in a local context.

 Bu çalışma, Türkiyede 2024 yılında yürürlüğe giren sokak hayvanları yasasına yönelik sosyal medya tepkilerini duygusal ve söylemsel düzeyde analiz etmiştir. Çalışmanın temel amacı, yasaya yönelik destekleyici ve karşıt görüşlerin sosyal kimliğe dayalı kutuplaşma bağlamında nasıl yapılandığını ortaya koymaktır. Ekşi Sözlükten ilgili yasaya yönelik toplanan 2.178 gönderi, destekleyici, karşıt ve nötr olarak etiketlenmiş; söylem stratejileri ve duygusal ton analiziyle incelenmiştir. Bulgular, destekleyici grubun daha kısa, analitik ve güvenlik odaklı bir dil kullandığını; karşıt grubun ise daha uzun, vicdani ve ahlaki değerlere dayalı duygusal bir söylem benimsediğini göstermiştir. VAD analizine göre, karşıt grup daha yüksek valans ve duygusal çeşitlilik sergilemiş; destekleyici grup ise daha düşük valans ve dominans skorları ile daha mesafeli bir duygu tonu yansıtmıştır. Retorik analizler, destekleyici grupta logosun, karşıt grupta ise ethosun öne çıktığını göstermektedir. Her iki grup da karşıt görüşleri dışlayıcı ifadelerle tanımlamış ve bu durum sosyal kimlik sınırlarının dilsel olarak pekiştirildiğini ortaya koymuştur. Bu bulgular, kamusal politikalar etrafında şekillenen dijital tartışmalarda duygusal ve retorik pratiklerin grup kimliklerini de inşa ettiğini göstermektedir. Çalışma, duygusal ve kimliğe dayalı etmenlerin kamusal tartışmalarda grup konumlanmalarını ve dil kullanımını nasıl şekillendirdiğini yerel bağlamda ortaya koyarak literatüre katkı sunmaktadır.

Makale detayları

Affective Polarization in Online Reactions to Turkey’s 2024 Stray Animal Law

Yazarlar:

Betül Çınar | Enes Polat | Çağın Berke İspir

Yayıncı:

İdeal Kent Yayınları

Ana Başlıklar:

İnternet | Sosyal Medya Çalışmaları | Sosyal Biliş

Dergi:

OPUS Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.22 Issue 4, pp.832-846

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355514

pISSN:

2791-9862

stray animal law

affective polarization

social identity

discourse analysis

social mediasokak hayvanları yasası

duygusal kutuplaşma

sosyal kimlik

söylem analizi

sosyal medya

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Betül Çınar | Enes Polat | Çağın Berke İspir

Yayıncı: İdeal Kent Yayınları

Ana Başlıklar: İnternet | Sosyal Medya Çalışmaları | Sosyal Biliş

Dergi: OPUS Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.22 Issue 4, pp.832-846

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 4/2025

Belge Dili: İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.): 2001355514

pISSN: 2791-9862

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Betül Çınar | Enes Polat | Çağın Berke İspir

Yayıncı:

İdeal Kent Yayınları

Ana Başlıklar:

İnternet | Sosyal Medya Çalışmaları | Sosyal Biliş

Dergi:

OPUS Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi Vol.22 Issue 4, pp.832-846

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

4/2025

Belge Dili:

İngilizce

Document ID (Org No.):

2001355514

pISSN:

2791-9862