Digital Atatürk, Collective Memory, and Political Longing: A Sociological Analysis of AI-Generated Representation of Atatürk on YouTube

Alptekin Keskin

Article Details

Digital Atatürk, Collective Memory, and Political Longing: A Sociological Analysis of AI-Generated Representation of Atatürk on YouTube

Authors:

Alptekin Keskin

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Uygulamalı Sosyoloji | Program Değerlendirmesi ve Sosyal Etki Değerlendirmesi

Journal:

İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyoloji Dergisi Vol.45 Issue 1, pp.386-422

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001353935

pISSN:

2667-6931

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This study investigates the sociopolitical and affective implications of an AI-generated simulation of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, published on the Siber Sörfçü YouTube channel. In the context of contemporary Turkeys political crises, leadership vacuum, and collective memory anxieties, the AI Atatürk video has sparked intense public attention. Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,852 user comments, the study identifies four central themes: 1 Those Who Felt Emotions and Those Who Miss Atatürk, reflecting viewers nostalgic and affective engagement; 2 Comparison with the Present and the Permanence of Atatürks Ideas, highlighting how Atatürk is invoked as a moral and political benchmark against contemporary dissatisfaction; 3 Supporters of Artificial Intelligence Leadership, where some viewers symbolically support AI-led governance as a response to perceived failures of human leadership; and 4 Appreciation of Technical Achievement, demonstrating admiration for the simulations realism, innovation, and immersive quality. Rather than isolated reactions, these themes are intertwined, revealing how AI functions as both a commemorative and speculative political tool. Drawing on theories of collective memory Halbwachs, social construction of reality Berger and Luckmann, digital nostalgia Niemeyer  Keightley, and algorithmic power Beer, the study shows how AI-mediated representations of historical figures serve as emotional and symbolic responses to current sociopolitical conditions.

 This study investigates the sociopolitical and affective implications of an AI-generated simulation of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, published on the Siber Sörfçü YouTube channel. In the context of contemporary Turkeys political crises, leadership vacuum, and collective memory anxieties, the AI Atatürk video has sparked intense public attention. Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,852 user comments, the study identifies four central themes: 1 Those Who Felt Emotions and Those Who Miss Atatürk, reflecting viewers nostalgic and affective engagement; 2 Comparison with the Present and the Permanence of Atatürks Ideas, highlighting how Atatürk is invoked as a moral and political benchmark against contemporary dissatisfaction; 3 Supporters of Artificial Intelligence Leadership, where some viewers symbolically support AI-led governance as a response to perceived failures of human leadership; and 4 Appreciation of Technical Achievement, demonstrating admiration for the simulations realism, innovation, and immersive quality. Rather than isolated reactions, these themes are intertwined, revealing how AI functions as both a commemorative and speculative political tool. Drawing on theories of collective memory Halbwachs, social construction of reality Berger and Luckmann, digital nostalgia Niemeyer  Keightley, and algorithmic power Beer, the study shows how AI-mediated representations of historical figures serve as emotional and symbolic responses to current sociopolitical conditions.

 This study investigates the sociopolitical and affective implications of an AI-generated simulation of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, published on the Siber Sörfçü YouTube channel. In the context of contemporary Turkeys political crises, leadership vacuum, and collective memory anxieties, the AI Atatürk video has sparked intense public attention. Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,852 user comments, the study identifies four central themes: 1 Those Who Felt Emotions and Those Who Miss Atatürk, reflecting viewers nostalgic and affective engagement; 2 Comparison with the Present and the Permanence of Atatürks Ideas, highlighting how Atatürk is invoked as a moral and political benchmark against contemporary dissatisfaction; 3 Supporters of Artificial Intelligence Leadership, where some viewers symbolically support AI-led governance as a response to perceived failures of human leadership; and 4 Appreciation of Technical Achievement, demonstrating admiration for the simulations realism, innovation, and immersive quality. Rather than isolated reactions, these themes are intertwined, revealing how AI functions as both a commemorative and speculative political tool. Drawing on theories of collective memory Halbwachs, social construction of reality Berger and Luckmann, digital nostalgia Niemeyer  Keightley, and algorithmic power Beer, the study shows how AI-mediated representations of historical figures serve as emotional and symbolic responses to current sociopolitical conditions.

 This study investigates the sociopolitical and affective implications of an AI-generated simulation of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, published on the Siber Sörfçü YouTube channel. In the context of contemporary Turkeys political crises, leadership vacuum, and collective memory anxieties, the AI Atatürk video has sparked intense public attention. Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of 1,852 user comments, the study identifies four central themes: 1 Those Who Felt Emotions and Those Who Miss Atatürk, reflecting viewers nostalgic and affective engagement; 2 Comparison with the Present and the Permanence of Atatürks Ideas, highlighting how Atatürk is invoked as a moral and political benchmark against contemporary dissatisfaction; 3 Supporters of Artificial Intelligence Leadership, where some viewers symbolically support AI-led governance as a response to perceived failures of human leadership; and 4 Appreciation of Technical Achievement, demonstrating admiration for the simulations realism, innovation, and immersive quality. Rather than isolated reactions, these themes are intertwined, revealing how AI functions as both a commemorative and speculative political tool. Drawing on theories of collective memory Halbwachs, social construction of reality Berger and Luckmann, digital nostalgia Niemeyer  Keightley, and algorithmic power Beer, the study shows how AI-mediated representations of historical figures serve as emotional and symbolic responses to current sociopolitical conditions.

Article Details

Digital Atatürk, Collective Memory, and Political Longing: A Sociological Analysis of AI-Generated Representation of Atatürk on YouTube

Authors:

Alptekin Keskin

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Uygulamalı Sosyoloji | Program Değerlendirmesi ve Sosyal Etki Değerlendirmesi

Journal:

İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyoloji Dergisi Vol.45 Issue 1, pp.386-422

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001353935

pISSN:

2667-6931

Artificial intelligence

social construction of reality

Atatürk

algorithmic power

spiral of silence

collective memory

Issues

Article Details

Digital Atatürk, Collective Memory, and Political Longing: A Sociological Analysis of AI-Generated Representation of Atatürk on YouTube

Authors: Alptekin Keskin

Publisher: Istanbul University

Main Topics: Uygulamalı Sosyoloji | Program Değerlendirmesi ve Sosyal Etki Değerlendirmesi

Journal: İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyoloji Dergisi Vol.45 Issue 1, pp.386-422

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001353935

pISSN: 2667-6931

Artificial intelligence

social construction of reality

Atatürk

algorithmic power

spiral of silence

collective memory

Issues

Authors:

Alptekin Keskin

Publisher:

Istanbul University

Main Topics:

Uygulamalı Sosyoloji | Program Değerlendirmesi ve Sosyal Etki Değerlendirmesi

Journal:

İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyoloji Dergisi Vol.45 Issue 1, pp.386-422

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001353935

pISSN:

2667-6931