A Comprehensive Analysis of Public Discourse and Content Trends in Turkish Reddit Posts Related to Deepfake

ABSTRACT 

This study investigates the content and changes in deepfakes-related discussions on 5,220 Turkish Reddit posts from October 2019 to August 2023. Although the academic community has shown an increasing interest in deepfakes since 2017, focusing on detection methods and the technology itself, scant attention has been paid to public perceptions and online debate. The analysis reveals that 69.4% of the examined posts feature deepfake content with sexual themes, with celebrity women being the primary targets in 60.2% of cases. In contrast, 22% of the content is about politics and political figures, while 8.6% provides technical guidance on creating deepfakes. The study also observes content changes over time, noticing a rise in sexually explicit deepfake posts, particularly involving celebrities. However, in May 2023, coinciding with the presidential and general elections in Türkiye, discussions about politics and political figures have significantly increased. This study sheds light on the changing landscape of discussions, emphasizing the predominant presence of sexual content and the increasing prevalence of political content, particularly during election seasons. 

LINK: https://iga.pknu.ac.kr:446/html/jga/online-jga.php?mode=view&idx=28

The Effects of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) Soft-Terrorism Strategies on Turkish Public Opinion Using Google Data

 Abstract

The development of social media and internet technologies has significantly impacted individuals, organizations, and societies. Notably, these advancements have influenced individuals and communities and profoundly affected terrorist organizations. The adept use of these technologies by existing terrorist organizations has had a negative psychological impact on individuals who may not be directly affected by terrorist attacks. The soft-terrorism concept captures this dynamic. This study analyzes Google data to comprehend the influence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), one of the organizations that most effectively employs soft-terrorism strategies, on Turkish public opinion. To gain insights into the Turkish public’s interest in ISIS terrorist attacks and soft-terrorism strategies, Turkish Google searches on “ISIS” between January 2014 and December 2018 are analyzed. The research findings indicate that ISIS’ soft-terrorism strategies have a more significant impact on capturing the attention of the Turkish public compared to the terrorist attacks carried out by ISIS within Turkey. Moreover, ISIS’ soft-terrorist strategies have long-term effects on Turkish interest in ISIS.

LINK: https://iga.pknu.ac.kr:446/html/jga/online-jga.php?mode=view&idx=26

The Importance of Mixed Method in Terrorism Study

Abstract

This research presents a systematic review of the importance of mixed methods in terrorism studies. This paper aims to show the importance of using mixed approaches on terrorism literature. In this regard, I argue that mixed methods play an essential role in advancing terrorism studies because by using qualitative and quantitative method approaches in the same analysis, the scholar can integrate the power of both methodologies and translate the results into a helpful solution. I offer an overview of this field of research in this study. To defend this argument, I prepared two datasets and analyzed them quantitatively. A second quantitative analysis was conducted, focusing on the cases of Japan and Korea, which emerged from the first analysis and differed from the other examples. Accordingly, with quantitative analysis focusing on the cases of Korea and Japan, I will show why quantitative analysis alone is insufficient for terrorism studies. I then discuss the main results of this research and explain why the mixed method approach is essential in terrorism studies.

LINK: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ijshs/issue/80516/1378747#article_cite

Constructivism, Identity, and Discourse in Terrorism

 

Abstract

Terrorism is a phenomenon with a long history. Scholars from many different disciplines research terrorism. One of the disciplines studying the phenomenon of terrorism is International Relations. Significantly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the discipline's interest in terrorism increased dramatically. However, increasing academic studies since the early 2000s did not lead to an increase in the contribution of the field to Terrorism Studies. The state-centric perspective of Neorealism and Neoliberalism is a fundamental reason behind this problem. Constructivism offers an alternative to the state-centric view. In this context, I examine the role of identity and discourse on terrorism by adopting the Constructivist perspective. Within this scope, the manifestos of eight different terrorists within three various terrorist organizations were examined. In parallel, news about the terrorists whose manifestos were examined was analyzed. Using text analysis, results suggest that both terrorists and the media divide the world into two "us" and "them." The results of this study provide interesting insights and empirical implications on International Relations. In this research, I give an overview of this research area. I then discuss this research's primary results and explain why the Constructivist approach, identity, and discourse are essential in terrorism research.

Link: https://jppol.ub.ac.id/index.php/jppol/article/view/183

DOI: 

https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.jppol.2022.004.02.01

Comparison of Turkish and English-Speaking ISIS Sympathizers’ Twitter Content between 2015 and 2016

 

Abstract

The development of social media technologies has had a significant impact on individuals, organizations and societies. However, social media has not only affected people and communities, but also terrorist organizations have started to use social media platforms effectively. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is one such group that actively utilizes social media. Social media has played a critical role in formulating and disseminating ISIS’s strategies. Twitter is one of the most effective social media platforms used by ISIS, and it actively uses Twitter in predominantly Muslim countries such as Turkey. In this article, I use a dictionary-based method to compare and analyze 29,419 tweets from English-speaking supporters of ISIS and 40,526 tweets from Turkish supporters of ISIS between 2015 and 2016.

Keywords: Twitter analysis; Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS); Turkish and English-speaking ISIS supporters on Twitter; dictionary-based analysis

Link: https://brill.com/view/journals/iss/aop/article-10.1163-27730611-bja10013/article-10.1163-27730611-bja10013.xml

Terrorism-Related Topic In The Language Of Fake News In Indonesia

The discussion on the relations between terrorism and social media mainly focuses on social media's role in spreading terrorism ideology and recruiting a member of the terrorist group. However, social media has also become means to share fake news related to terrorism. Considering the relationship between fake news and terrorism, the primary purpose of this study is to examine the content, language used, and emotion of fake news about terrorism in Indonesia. It also revelas what kind of language is used in fake news to manipulate the public and what emotions it appeals to? We analyzed fake news about terrorism in Indonesia using quantitative text analysis methods, such as sentiment analysis and dictionary-based analysis methods with R statistical software. We created two dictionaries covering religious and violent words, and fake news was examined under these two dictionaries. For reliability, we applied the "Split-half test" to the results and we reached similar results. This study shows that ISIS, Aceh, and terrorist action in Sulawesi are three dominant topics in fake news. Second, the language on fake news is mostly about terrorism and violence to create fear in society. Third, violence and religious language are equal in the language of misleading content. We interpreted the results obtained with the traditional fear of crime theory. We then discussed the significant results of this research and made effort to explain the reasons behind our research results. The study has a limitation because of the small number of fake news. Future studies may overcome this limitation by selecting multiple countries as cases or increasing the data range of fake news. The dictionary-based method we used in this study is relatively new to the literature and provides the opportunity to analyze fake news content effectively. Our results using the Dictionary-based method can provide valuable clues for policymakers in the counter-terrorism field.

Link: https://ejournal.upnvj.ac.id/index.php/JM/article/view/MJIHI%20_01

Examining ISIS's Turkish Sympathizers on Twitter

Abstract

Social media platforms have become a part of people's daily lives. However, developing social media technologies have affected not only people but also terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and social media has become an essential part of ISIS's strategies. ISIS effectively uses many social media platforms, especially Twitter, for propaganda, recruitment, and creating fear among people. ISIS also actively uses Twitter in Turkey. However, the number of academic studies focusing on the behavior, structure, communication, and relationship networks of ISIS sympathizers in Turkey is limited. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to reveal the structure, behavior, communication, and relationship networks of ISIS's Turkish sympathizers. Accordingly, this study focuses on the structure, behavior, communication, and relationship networks of ISIS's Turkish sympathizers. I will analyze them within four main analytical steps. The basic characteristics, structures, behaviors, and relationship networks of 2079 Turkish ISIS sympathizers are examined with the R computer program, and many remarkable findings are reached as a result of the analysis.

Keywords: ISIS' Turkish Supporters, Twitter Analysis, Network Analysis, Correlation Analysis, Social Media

LINK: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/icps/issue/74445/1183919