Political Polarization on Social Media During Catastrophic Times: Framing Rift Over Earthquake Donations in Turkey

How does political polarization affect communication during catastrophic times? In societies where political parties and people located at the extremes of the spectrum are concentrated, times of crises are opportunities for authoritarian populists to present themselves as having the only solution to the wider public. Therefore, the public is more exposed than ever to the discourses of those populists’ political actors through and by the (social) media during the moment of crises. This overexposure to populist discourses has the potential to further polarize already polarized societies, with detrimental impacts on the state of democracy.

This project is funded by Yaşar University Project Support Office (BAP 136).

Duration: 15.05.2023 – 15.04.2024

Project Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Emre İşeri

Consultant: Doç. Dr. Gizem Melek

Project Assistant: Ezgi Su Mete