VISUAL SEMIOTICS OF POLITICAL POWER: AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF INSTAGRAM PROFILE PHOTOS AMONG TURKISH POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS

Yağmur Gümüşboğa

Article Details

VISUAL SEMIOTICS OF POLITICAL POWER: AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF INSTAGRAM PROFILE PHOTOS AMONG TURKISH POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS

Authors:

Yağmur Gümüşboğa

Publisher:

Bitlis Eren University

Main Topics:

Gazetecilik | Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Hareketler | Siyasal İletişim

Journal:

Bitlis Eren Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.2 Issue 3, pp.267-286

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338151

pISSN:

3023-5995

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Contemporary uses of new communication technologies and social networking platforms not only encourage peoples screen-scrolling habits to utilise their leisure time, but also serve the dissemination of perceptual content. Recent research has shown that the visual symbols that the public encounters when evaluating politicians can play a critical role in the consistency or change in their preferences. Therefore, the daily use of social media by political actors through attention-grabbing images or videos is considered as a new form of propaganda. In line with this approach, which constitutes the main purpose of this study, how profile photos on Instagram, the fastest growing social media application in 2022, are used by political actors is analysed. Analysing the codes contained in visual materials, which are accepted as an important communication tool by politicians, constitutes the general structure of the study. The tendency of Instagram users to communicate through visuals instead of text emphasises the importance of the data to be presented on this platform. Out of the 122 political parties actively operating in Turkey, five political parties that won the right to representation in the Turkish Grand National Assembly by passing the 10 election threshold were taken as a sample. Instagram profile photos of the leaders of these parties were analysed semiotically. As a result of the analyses, it has been revealed that the visual sign forms of two opposite political parties that advocate nationalism of different ethnic identities are largely similar and that each leader makes a visual presentation of the ideological identities of their parties with the photos they share from their personal accounts.

 Contemporary uses of new communication technologies and social networking platforms not only encourage peoples screen-scrolling habits to utilise their leisure time, but also serve the dissemination of perceptual content. Recent research has shown that the visual symbols that the public encounters when evaluating politicians can play a critical role in the consistency or change in their preferences. Therefore, the daily use of social media by political actors through attention-grabbing images or videos is considered as a new form of propaganda. In line with this approach, which constitutes the main purpose of this study, how profile photos on Instagram, the fastest growing social media application in 2022, are used by political actors is analysed. Analysing the codes contained in visual materials, which are accepted as an important communication tool by politicians, constitutes the general structure of the study. The tendency of Instagram users to communicate through visuals instead of text emphasises the importance of the data to be presented on this platform. Out of the 122 political parties actively operating in Turkey, five political parties that won the right to representation in the Turkish Grand National Assembly by passing the 10 election threshold were taken as a sample. Instagram profile photos of the leaders of these parties were analysed semiotically. As a result of the analyses, it has been revealed that the visual sign forms of two opposite political parties that advocate nationalism of different ethnic identities are largely similar and that each leader makes a visual presentation of the ideological identities of their parties with the photos they share from their personal accounts.

 Contemporary uses of new communication technologies and social networking platforms not only encourage peoples screen-scrolling habits to utilise their leisure time, but also serve the dissemination of perceptual content. Recent research has shown that the visual symbols that the public encounters when evaluating politicians can play a critical role in the consistency or change in their preferences. Therefore, the daily use of social media by political actors through attention-grabbing images or videos is considered as a new form of propaganda. In line with this approach, which constitutes the main purpose of this study, how profile photos on Instagram, the fastest growing social media application in 2022, are used by political actors is analysed. Analysing the codes contained in visual materials, which are accepted as an important communication tool by politicians, constitutes the general structure of the study. The tendency of Instagram users to communicate through visuals instead of text emphasises the importance of the data to be presented on this platform. Out of the 122 political parties actively operating in Turkey, five political parties that won the right to representation in the Turkish Grand National Assembly by passing the 10 election threshold were taken as a sample. Instagram profile photos of the leaders of these parties were analysed semiotically. As a result of the analyses, it has been revealed that the visual sign forms of two opposite political parties that advocate nationalism of different ethnic identities are largely similar and that each leader makes a visual presentation of the ideological identities of their parties with the photos they share from their personal accounts.

 Yeni iletişim teknolojileri ve sosyal ağ platformlarının çağdaş kullanım alanları, yalnızca insanların boş vakitlerini değerlendirmeleri için ekran kaydırma alışkanlıklarını teşvik etmekle kalmamakta, aynı zamanda algısal içeriklerin yayılmasına da hizmet etmektedir. Son dönemde yapılan araştırmalar, halkın siyasetçileri değerlendirirken karşılaştıkları görsel sembollerin, tercihlerindeki tutarlılık veya değişim üzerinde kritik bir rol oynayabileceğini ortaya koymuştur. Bu nedenle, siyasi aktörlerin her gün dikkat çekici görseller veya videolar aracılığıyla sosyal medyayı kullanmaları, yeni bir propaganda biçimi olarak değerlendirilmektedir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacını oluşturan bu yaklaşım doğrultusunda, 2022 yılında en hızlı büyüme gösteren sosyal medya uygulaması olan Instagramdaki profil fotoğraflarının siyasi aktörler tarafından nasıl kullanıldığı incelenmiştir. Siyasiler tarafından önemli bir iletişim aracı olarak kabul edilen görsel materyallerin içerdiği kodların çözümlenmesi, çalışmanın genel yapısını oluşturmaktadır. Instagram kullanıcılarının metin yerine görseller aracılığıyla iletişim kurma eğilimi, bu platformda sunulacak verilerin önemini vurgulamaktadır. Türkiyede aktif olarak faaliyet gösteren 122 siyasi parti içerisinden, 10luk seçim barajını aşarak TBMMde temsil hakkı kazanan beş siyasi parti örneklem olarak alınmıştır. Bu partilerin liderlerinin Instagram profil fotoğrafları, göstergebilimsel olarak analiz edilmiştir. Yapılan analizler sonucunda, farklı etnik kimliklerin milliyetçiliğini savunan iki zıt siyasi partinin görsel gösterge biçimlerinin büyük ölçüde benzerlik taşıdığı ve her bir liderin kişisel hesaplarından paylaştıkları fotoğraflarla, partilerinin ideolojik kimliklerinin görsel sunumunu yaptıkları ortaya konulmuştur.

Article Details

VISUAL SEMIOTICS OF POLITICAL POWER: AN IN-DEPTH EXAMINATION OF INSTAGRAM PROFILE PHOTOS AMONG TURKISH POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS

Authors:

Yağmur Gümüşboğa

Publisher:

Bitlis Eren University

Main Topics:

Gazetecilik | Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Hareketler | Siyasal İletişim

Journal:

Bitlis Eren Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.2 Issue 3, pp.267-286

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338151

pISSN:

3023-5995

Instagram

Semiotics

Profile Photo

Political Party

LeaderInstagram

Göstergebilim

Profil Fotoğrafı

Siyasi Parti

Lider

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Yağmur Gümüşboğa

Publisher: Bitlis Eren University

Main Topics: Gazetecilik | Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Hareketler | Siyasal İletişim

Journal: Bitlis Eren Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.2 Issue 3, pp.267-286

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001338151

pISSN: 3023-5995

Issues

Authors:

Yağmur Gümüşboğa

Publisher:

Bitlis Eren University

Main Topics:

Gazetecilik | Karşılaştırmalı Siyasi Hareketler | Siyasal İletişim

Journal:

Bitlis Eren Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.2 Issue 3, pp.267-286

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338151

pISSN:

3023-5995