Türkiye | Türkiye: Influencers against authoritarianism

Journalists protest in Ankara against the government's censorship policy on social media. Photo: AFP/Adem Altan The arrest of the charismatic opposition leader and Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu triggered a large wave of protests in March 2025. The response to the demonstrations was massive police operations and mass arrests, accompanied by restrictions and blocking of access to social media content and prosecutions for social media posts.

At that time, I noticed a striking trend in my Instagram feed that got me thinking about the role of influencers in fighting authoritarianism. In response to criticism of their support of the protests, some cultural influencers released tongue-in-cheek videos that went viral. They repeatedly used the words: “You constantly remind me that the accounts are all about a specific topic (English lessons, architecture, gardening, etc.) and that I should stay out of politics. Then let me tell you something about this particular topic.”

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For example, an English language influencer explained that the demand for her content was itself a consequence of neoliberal privatization and the decline of public education. A garden design content creator introduced a flower native to Istanbul that blooms very early in spring - right around the time the Saraçhane protests were taking place. She presented it as a symbol of hope and the possibility of a new political beginning.

In doing so, they drew attention to the AKP-led government's mismanagement and abuse of power. Instead of turning their channels into overtly political platforms, they used their areas of expertise as a means to comment on politics.

In today's social media-driven world, political communication increasingly takes place on digital platforms such as YouTube, Tiktok and Twitch. For a long time, these spaces appeared to be dominated by right-wing extremist agitators, conspiracy theorists, anti-immigrants and fraudsters from the "manosphere," who are seen as catalysts for the recent rise of fascism worldwide.

But the left has also recognized the inevitability and potential of social media. Activists and political organizations are increasingly turning to content creation to counter the rise of right-wing extremist politics. They try to influence the audience by spreading the progressive idea of ​​social justice. The American socialist streamer Hasan Piker is probably the most prominent example of this trend. In Germany, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation has published the handbook “Influencing Against the System” to give leftists guidance on how to use social media as a strategic tool for political communication.

Critical influencers are a mix of cultural and political influencers who combine in-depth knowledge with social criticism and commentary. For many young people in Turkey, these influencers are role models who channel their desire for self-development toward a more politically informed understanding of the world. They communicate in an accessible and relatable way, address popular topics and adapt to the genres and rhythms of social media. They also weave political criticism with their cultural, academic and professional expertise.

For example, an influencer for socialist philosophy explains Marx's concept of surplus value in a reaction video to an embarrassing corporate clip in which a businesswoman praises her company. A university professor publishes Reels about academic studies that compare rich and poor people on socially relevant issues - such as how they interpret their successes as luck or personal merit - to uncover the social dimensions of class inequality.

Elsewhere, a folk musician tackles misogynistic stereotypes by highlighting women's contributions to traditional folk music through compelling stories from the past. Another language teaching influencer questions the current crackdown on queer people under the guise of protecting “the family” while explaining English vocabulary and phrases.

However, given the political risks associated with counter-hegemonic statements and the pervasive smear campaigns, these influencers must carefully consider their rhetoric. The Turkish state relies heavily on digital authoritarianism to suppress the spread of dissent. Bans on access to content and the criminal prosecution of social media users are widespread.

In 2025, police and gendarmerie monitored over 600,000 social media accounts, more than 210,000 social media users were under investigation, and thousands of people were arrested. In the first nine months of 2026, Turkey's Interior Ministry said 73,000 social media accounts had been blocked. Most recently, state authorities launched Operation “My Family is Safe,” which resulted in a crackdown on LGBTQ organizations, the mass arrest of activists, and the suspension of hundreds of social media accounts.

In addition to digital authoritarianism, polarization is the other major limitation for content creators who want to advance counter-hegemonic discourses. Polarization around religion, public morality issues, gender equality and LGBTQ rights is amplifying the impact of smear campaigns calling for the arrest of certain influencers. Women and queer content creators are particularly vulnerable to online hate comments and intimidation attempts such as doxxing.

An influencer from the field of psychology with around half a million Instagram followers is a prominent example of this dynamic. As a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf, she challenges the reactionary religious conservatism and the divide between secularism and religion that the AKP government regularly mobilizes to consolidate its rule. She defends secularism and gender equality and opposes the targeted persecution of queer people, often through reaction videos in which she responds to comments made by pro-government commentators. She has repeatedly been the target of smear campaigns calling for her arrest, alleging that she has insulted Islamic values.

Under these circumstances, many critical influencers tend to seek inconspicuous forms of counter-political statements. They consciously refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and open attacks on the AKP.

It is also important to consider that influencers' political work intersects with their efforts to build visibility and generate income. This overlap can increase their reach among audiences who share their political views, but it also exposes them to the consequences that come with it. For those who pursue content creation as a side hustle, it is becoming increasingly important to stay under the radar so as not to jeopardize their primary focus.

But the reasons for cautious and indirect criticism go beyond the need to minimize political risks. They also reflect the intention to reach target groups beyond the deep divides of polarization. For example, a socialist content creator explained that he was trying to influence AKP voters who were disillusioned with their party. He mentioned that he uses a familiar, familiar tone when addressing his audience, such as addressing male commenters as "my brother."

Similarly, two feminist influencers emphasized their intention to appeal to male audiences by avoiding the exclusionary pitfalls of identity politics and portraying patriarchy as a system that also harms men. Another creator who produces content about toxic masculinity shared his efforts to appear in the feeds of young men drawn to incel and Red Pill ideas.

Antonio Gramsci described “organic intellectuals” as actors who are rooted in the world of production and combine practical experience, critical understanding and political commitment. Can critical and left-wing influencers play a similar role today?

In fact, social media offers extensive opportunities to share knowledge and challenge prevailing ideas.

In fact, social media offers extensive opportunities to share knowledge and challenge prevailing ideas. But algorithmic fragmentation and personalized recommendation systems risk limiting digital activism to feedback loops and filter bubbles, where it primarily reaches people who already share similar views. Influencers therefore face the challenge of reaching people beyond their usual algorithmic reach who do not share their political worldview and cultural habitus.

This requires a practical understanding of the algorithms on the platforms and the dynamic workings of the attention economy. But that alone is not enough. To act as organic intellectuals, critical influencers would need to understand why right-wing extremist, neoconservative and reactionary ideas resonate in society and find ways to intervene in these ideological struggles.

On this basis, they must help clarify political ideas, link fragmentary social grievances to a broader counter-hegemonic project, and provide a measure of moral and intellectual leadership. This raises questions about collective organization and coordinated action, which is difficult to reconcile with the individualistic, self-promoting and entrepreneurial logic of being an influencer.

As elsewhere, efforts are emerging in Turkey to counteract the lack of coordination. The Bi’Tık Network was recently founded as a left-wing solidarity initiative for content creators. It aims to promote collective action to advance struggles for social justice and set a coordinated agenda on social media.

However, left-wing collectives of content creators and influencers face important questions: Can they forge lasting connections with social movements, political parties and other forms of collective action on the ground? Could such connections help sustain political alignment beyond fleeting viral moments and self-centered forms of contestation?

It is definitely time to think about these questions and experiment with political influencer organizations and alternative economic models for content creators.

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