Echo Chambers, or “The Will of the People”: The Case of Alimony Contesters and Antifeminist Countermovement in Turkey

Abstract

This article focuses on the alimony contesters in Turkey, who are a part of the online antifeminist countermovement. The alimony contesters’ movement is significant because, even though they are small in numbers, they successfully leveraged support from pro-government media organizations and journalists in the broader context of the authoritarian media atmosphere in Turkey. The media support, and the fact that their discourse is in parallel with Turkey's authoritarian government's policies on women and gender, helped them break the walls of their echo chambers and shape the public discourse. The aim of the study is to use a three-step methodology to figure out alimony contesters’ hybrid media strategy to stimulate the public debate and influence news framing and editorial choices by building relationships with pro-government journalists and news outlets. The study demonstrates that the demands of a small group that is organized on social media and has limited followers can be presented as the public will if it receives sufficient support from politics and the media.