The Transformation of the Media System in Turkey

The book focuses on the changes that the media system in Turkey went through since early 2000s. Its perspective considers sociology of citizenship and focuses on processes such as Europeanization, de-Europeanization, authoritarianism on the one hand and implications of digitalization and convergence on the other. It tracks the transformation of the media system through the trajectories of normative, participative, and entrepreneurial citizenship practices. The final sections focus on aspects of convergence evidenced in bottom-up and participatory forms of digital media such as the birth of citizen journalism and fact-checkers after the demise of conventional mainstream media in recent years.

With primary data spanning almost two decades The Transformation of the Media System in Turkey offers a much-needed critical analysis of Turkish media and politics. Rather than focusing on one medium or technology, the author shifts our attention to the interplay between regulation and political communication across the media sphere. In its rigorous depth and impressive breadth, this book’s contribution goes well beyond the case of Turkey as it innovatively connects media systems theory with theories of citizenship and identity.

Dr Omar Al-Ghazzi, Assistant Professor in Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science

“Turkey is a living lab where one can trace the transformation of the media in connection with the changing definitions of the nation. This has become even more prevalent in the aftermath of the Gezi Protests. This work eloquently elaborates the dialectical relationship between the increasing authoritarianisation of the state and the rise of social media along with new forms and formats of journalism. One of the strongest aspects of this book is that it expertly demonstrates this process especially after the critical turn of 2007 and successfully analyses the transformation of the Turkish media system in relation to the Europeanisation and de-Europeanisation of the state. This comprehensive work has brought together various disciplines such as Media Studies, Political science, Sociology and European Studies.”

Prof. Dr. Ayhan Kaya, Istanbul Bilgi University, Department of International Relations

Exploring the transformation of Turkey’s mediascape historically through the lens of political and economic change, the book sparks a new understanding of the ‘capture’ of media since the beginning of 2000s. The analysis develops around a number of themes such as Europeanization, de-Europeanization, media diversity and Press Freedom, globalization and anti-globalization. It establishes the position that the current relationship between media, politics and citizens, although increasingly authoritarian, can only be understood as the continuation of already established economic and political structures for the benefit of those in power.

The book also offers an insight into the possibility of a new media future in the form of the born-digital and platform-based news media that emerged over the last decade. The opportunities and possibilities for a new communicative space are examined but not exaggerated. They are rather explored as rights to be fought over and claimed.

Roza Tsagarousianou, Phd. Reader in Media and Communication, Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) College of Design, Creative, and Digital Industries  University of Westminster

Yanardagoglu addresses the changes in the media in Turkey during AKP era through the prism of citizenship and communication rights highlighting the transformations in mainstream, minority and born-digital media from a fresh perspective. Her nuanced analysis provides readers with new insights about emergent journalistic practices and alternative media outlets. This book is a valuable guide for readers interested in global media systems, citizenship and communication.

Bilge Yesil, Associate Professor, Department of Media Culture, College of Staten Island, CUNY

Eylem Yanardağoğlu is an associate professor and head of the New Media department at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. She received her PhD at City, University of London Sociology department. Her research interests include digital citizenship, transnational news networks, online news consumption, journalism and transnational expansion of Turkish TV series.