Violence against women in the context of anger and claiming rights: An X analysis

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Sinem Burcu Uğur
Fatma Yiğit Açıkgöz
Hasan Cem Çelik
Mehmet Arif Arık
Mehmet Kayakuş
İsmail Ayşad Güdekli
Serdar Paçacı
Derya Çizmeli

Abstract

International and national statistics indicate that Turkey leads OECD countries in the prevalence of violence against women, alongside a rising trend in femicides. Recognizing that social media platforms do more than report events—they actively shape collective memory—this study reconceptualizes X (formerly Twitter) as a dynamic communication ecosystem. We analyze 30,613 original Turkish-language tweets posted between 7 November 2022 and 16 January 2023 using a mixed-methods pipeline: automated text mining for hashtag networks and engagement metrics, combined with a two-stage content and discourse analysis that preserves key platform affordances such as hashtags, mentions, emojis, and thread depth. Drawing on second-level agenda-setting theory, Bruns & Moe’s algorithmic amplification research, and Ferron & Massa’s digital memory framework, we identify three strategic communication phenomena: “Anger Flashpoints” (hashtag-driven outrage cascades), “Rights-Claiming Petitions” (mention-mediated appeals to institutions), and “Collective Resistance Debates” (thread-based deliberations). Our findings reveal that spikes in discourse align with rapid retweet cascades and trending-topic promotions; direct mentions function as crowd-sourced petitions for legal and policy change; and extended reply threads nurture sustained counter-narratives. These thematic clusters act as both emotional expressions and tactical communication tools, leveraging X’s algorithmic affordances to coordinate public outrage and embed discussions of femicide within social memory. By highlighting these communicative mechanisms, we demonstrate X’s dual role as both a mirror and driver of public sentiment, emphasizing its potential to influence policy debates and support advocacy against violence toward women.

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Uğur, Sinem Burcu, Fatma Yiğit Açıkgöz, Hasan Cem Çelik, Mehmet Arif Arık, Mehmet Kayakuş, İsmail Ayşad Güdekli, Serdar Paçacı, and Derya Çizmeli. 2025. “Violence Against Women in the Context of Anger and Claiming Rights: An X Analysis”. Vivat Academia. Journal of Communication 158 (September):1-42. https://doi.org/10.15178/va.2025.158.e1621.
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Research Articles
Author Biographies

Sinem Burcu Uğur, Akdeniz University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sinem Burcu Uğur received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Ankara University in 2010, and completed her M.A. (2014) and Ph.D. (2018) in Sociology at Akdeniz University. She is currently a faculty member in the Department of Social Work at Akdeniz University, Manavgat Faculty of Social and Humanities Sciences. Her academic research focuses on family sociology, gender studies, aging, women and children, as well as social problems and inequalities. She has published numerous national and international articles on issues such as violence against women, the roles of elderly individuals within the family, divorce, institutional care, stigmatization, and social exclusion. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in social work education. Uğur’s academic work aims to contribute to combating social disadvantages and promoting social justice.

Fatma Yiğit Açıkgöz, Akdeniz University

Lecturer Dr. Fatma Yiğit Açıkgöz graduated from the Department of Public Relations and Advertising at the Faculty of Communication at Akdeniz University in 2005; she completed her master's degree in 2017 and her doctorate in 2023. She is currently a lecturer in the Public Relations and Advertising Programme at the Akdeniz University School of Social Sciences. Her work focuses primarily on corporate reputation, crisis management, public relations practices and digital media. He has national and international publications and field projects on post-crisis reputation rebuilding, online reputation analytics, and stakeholder communication. He teaches courses in crisis management, public relations applications, customer relationship management, and digital marketing.

Hasan Cem Çelik, Akdeniz University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan Cem Çelik received his Ph.D. (2019) in Radio, Television and Cinema from Akdeniz University with a dissertation on the cultivation role of television in terms of violence, personality traits, and representations of aging. He was later awarded the title of associate professorship in Journalism. He is currently working as an independent researcher. His academic research focuses on media studies, television content analysis, journalism, violence and social representations, aging, and stereotypes. He has published numerous national and international articles on topics such as media representations of violence, television and ideology, distance education, cultural studies, and social solidarity in times of crisis. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in communication and journalism. Çelik’s academic work aims to contribute to a critical understanding of media and its role in shaping social realities.

Mehmet Arif Arık, Akdeniz University

Dr. Mehmet Arif Arık received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Karadeniz Technical University in 2016, and completed his M.A. (2020) and Ph.D. (2025) in Journalism at Akdeniz University. He served as Assistant Coordinator at the New Media Laboratory of Akdeniz University’s Faculty of Communication between 2022 and 2024. His academic research focuses on immersive journalism, new media, digital games, gamification, user experience, and the political economy of media. He is also specialized in bibliometric methodology, text mining, and digital analysis. He has published national and international articles in indexed journals on topics such as immersive journalism, phubbing, digital culture, sustainability in new media, and violence against women. He has also contributed to academic  projects on media, digitalization, and civil society. His academic work aims to contribute to critical and innovative approaches in journalism, while exploring how emerging technologies reshape news consumption and media practices.

Mehmet Kayakuş, Akdeniz University

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kayakuş is a faculty member at Akdeniz University, Department of Management Information Systems. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer and Control Teaching from Marmara University in 2006, his master’s degree in Electronics and Computer Education from Süleyman Demirel University in 2010, and his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Süleyman Demirel University in 2018. His research interests include artificial intelligence, machine learning, data and text mining, natural language processing, financial sustainability, and artificial intelligence applications in communication sciences. He has taken part as a principal investigator or researcher in numerous national and international projects. Dr. Kayakuş has published many articles in international journals and contributed to several book chapters. In addition, he has presented papers and delivered invited talks at various national and international conferences.

İsmail Ayşad Güdekli, Akdeniz University

Born in 1982, Güdekli completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Antalya, then studied Political Science and Public Administration at Selçuk University's Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. He completed his master's degree in political communication at the same university and his doctorate at Akdeniz University's Faculty of Communication. Between 2006 and 2014, Güdekli served as the Exchange Programmes Coordinator at the Council of Higher Education. From 2014 to 2018, he worked as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Communication at Akdeniz University. Güdekli currently serves as the Head of the Interpersonal Communication Department in the Public Relations and Advertising Division at the Faculty of Communication at Akdeniz University. Her main areas of research include gender studies, new media, semiotic analysis, and political communication.

Serdar Paçacı, Akdeniz University

Asst. Prof. Dr. Serdar Paçacı is a faculty member at Isparta University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology, Department of Computer Engineering, Division of Computer Software. He completed his undergraduate studies at Süleyman Demirel University in Electronics and Computer Education (2007) and Computer Engineering (2017). He then received his Master’s degree in Electronics and Computer Education (2011) and his Ph.D. in Computer Engineering (2019) from the same university. Dr. Paçacı’s research primarily focuses on artificial intelligence, optimization algorithms, artificial neural networks, and virtual laboratory applications. He has published numerous articles and papers in international journals and conferences, contributing significantly to the advancement of knowledge in these fields. Through his scientific work, he continues to enhance the development of computational methods and innovative applications within computer engineering.

Derya Çizmeli, Akdeniz University

Derya Çizmeci completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Finance at Akdeniz University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations at the Institute of Social Sciences, Akdeniz University. Her academic interests include current trends in communication research, new media studies, sustainability perspectives, and the social and economic impacts of technological developments. By employing bibliometric analysis methods, Çizmeci examines developments in the fields of communication and media, producing studies that contribute to both national and international literature. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, she brings together finance, economics, and communication sciences, thereby offering diverse perspectives for research in both social sciences and media studies.

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