Abstract
This study investigates the influence of entertainment elements on political persuasion among young Turkish voters during the 2023 General Elections. Conducting 31 semi-structured interviews with demographically diverse participants aged 18-30 from various locales, it elucidates the nuanced interplay of cultural factors in shaping political attitudes. While participants exhibit a propensity for incorporating entertainment into political discourse, discernible reservations exist regarding the potential propagation of misinformation and the oversimplification of complex political issues. Ultimately, the findings underscore the primary function of entertainment elements in capturing attention rather than effecting substantive shifts in political decision-making processes.
TopIntroduction
The evolution of entertaining content on social media platforms has transformed political communication, making it a new and innovative tool for political figures to engage with the electorate. The term 'entertaining content' encompasses the deliberate incorporation of popular culture, entertainment modalities, and media dynamics by politicians to enhance their public image and persuade the voting population. It has been observed that there is an increasing trend towards the blurring of the boundaries between political action and entertainment, leading to the emergence of “politainment”. Otherwise, the combination of “politics” and “entertainment,” refers to the transformation of political discourse into a form of political communication. This phenomenon has been the subject of numerous studies in recent years, with researchers examining its impact on political communication (Klinger, Kreiss, & Mutsvairo, 2023; Zamora-Medina, 2023; Salazar, 2023; Cervi, Tejedor, & Blesa, 2023; Gonzalo, Medina, & Rebolledo de la Calle, 2021; Bosshart & Hellmüller, 2009).
Karpf and colleagues (2016) highlight the strategic use of celebrity in the 2012 presidential election, illustrating how political figures leverage popular culture to enhance their appeal and reach a wider audience. This trend is further explored by Berrocal-Gonzalo and Capdevila (2022), who delve into the role of popular culture in shaping political narratives, suggesting that entertainment mediums are not just platforms for political messages but active players in the political discourse. Politicians, facing more media exposure, are starting to act like celebrities, turning politics into a kind of show and blending political talk with entertainment. This trend of mixing politics with entertainment is changing how politicians communicate and interact, ushering in a new wave of 'pop politics' (Mazzoleni & Bracciale, 2019) and politainment (Berrocal et al., 2021).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Youth Studies: Youth studies encompass an interdisciplinary domain of inquiry dedicated to comprehending the challenges confronted by adolescents, devising interventions tailored to their exigencies, and fostering their developmental trajectories.
Political Entertainment: Political entertainment represents a communicative modality aimed at informing or influencing individuals by accentuating the comedic or engaging facets of political entities or occurrences.
Digital Content: Digital content pertains to the array of textual, auditory, visual, and multimedia materials generated, disseminated, or consumed within electronic milieus.
Political Communication: Political communication denotes the strategic dissemination of policies and messages by political actors to the populace, utilizing various communication channels and methodologies.
Social media: Social media delineates the constellation of internet-mediated platforms employed by users to disseminate content, foster interactions, and cultivate virtual communities.