Postmodern Status of New Social Movements: A Research on Yellow Vests

Abstract

Technological, cultural, political and economic developments with social change have transformed the form of social relations and brought new structures and conceptualizations. In this study, postmodern movements, which have been changed by technological innovations, are examined specific to Yellow Vests. Organizational forms, structures, agendas and horizontal communication of social movements that transform by the new communication technologies are studied. The study focused on the conversion of social movements by asserting the postmodern aspects of the Yellow Vests, which started in France and globalized in a short time via new technologies. In this context, to compose a general perspective on Yellow Vests, the news in the media is examined. Moreover, by the content analysis with Orange3, the tweets of “@_Gilets_Jaunes_” are assessed so as to understand the agenda and how Yellow Vests shapes the movement by the new communication technologies. Emotions and the general subjects of tweets are examined. This study aims to demonstrate how the movement emerged from traditional to postmodern with a descriptive approach by focusing on prominent themes and the organizational form of the Yellow Vests. According to the findings, it is possible to indicate that the Yellow Vests used new communication utilities to mobilize the movement as well as to convey their demands..