ANOTHER FACE OF THE NETWORK SOCIETY: AVATAR ACTIVISM AND JOKER (2019) IMAGERY

Abstract

Joker which was released in 2019 is a popular movie that has reached the global audience. In the same year, the face paint, mask and costume of the Joker character who is in the leading role of the movie Joker (2019) was used by the activists in the protests that took place in different countries. In the theoretical part of this study, by adopting Manuel Castells’ approach which is named as the Network Society, the local and global communication dimensions and influence of Avatar activism are discussed and examined through the character of Joker (2019). In this study, it is revealed that, by using Avatar Activism as a communication tactic, the activists aim to make their neglected problems more visible, to make their voices heard by local and global masses, and to keep the media’s interest in the protests alive for longer. In this context, the statements made by the activists who participated to protests in Lebanon, Chile and China with Joker face paint, mask or costume within the scope of Avatar activism to newspapers and media outlets on the reasons and purposes of their preference for this appearance were subjected to examination by document analysis, which is a qualitative data analysis method, and the theoretical and conceptual infrastructure of the study was supported by direct quotations from related explanations. As a result of this study, it is revealed that in 2019, activists participating in protests in Lebanon, Chile and China made similar statements about the reasons and purposes of preferring the Joker appearance, and within the scope of Avatar activism, they aim to express their neglected problems and make them more visible through the Joker appearance.