Kadınların Madun Sorunsalı ve Bir Alternatif Olarak Yeni Medyada Dijital Aktivizm: Change.org

Abstract

From a historical perspective, the concept of “subaltern” was first introduced by Antonio Gramsci in 1930 in relation to hegemony. However, the present day definition of subaltern includes people who are termed “oppressed” or “the other,” and their voices are unheard in society. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s term, “the other” is another name that makes this issue controversial. Gramsci and Spivak’s views on this subject are not only associated with each person but also separated at certain points. According to Spivak, the main problem is that subalterns can-not speak; in other words, their voices cannot be heard. In this context, when we use the concept of subaltern, the biggest issue we are facing is the problems faced by women, which in turn arise from the hegemonic inequality caused by gender. A woman can be identified as a subaltern because of social gender axis and counter-hegemony. New communication technologies have broadened the counter-hegemony areas of subalterns, while also ensuring the digital activism movements. For instance, with the widespread use of new communication technologies, almost everyone is able to use these technologies, and those who can-not physically have a power of opposition to the dominant ideology can create new formations through these channels. This article focuses on the campaigns related to women, which reflect the counter-hegemony efforts of subalterns and the effectiveness of such efforts in terms of digital activism that appears in www.change.org. In this study, women’s campaigns, launched in Turkey between January 1, 2016 and May 1, 2017 on change.org, were examined through content analysis and their results were evaluated.