The Discourse of Hate in the Digital Public Sphere: A Comparative Analysis on the Case of Volkan Konak

Abstract

This study examines the discursive reactions and hate/lynching dynamics that emerged in the digital public sphere following the death of Turkish singer Volkan Konak in 2024. The triggering point was a post made by the Mufti of Çatalca on X (Twitter), stating, “He was one of the infidels  no mercy should be prayed for such.” This statement was reported by Yeni Akit on December 15, 2024, under the headline “He was an infidel, he’s gone; no mercy for Volkan Konak,” sparking widespread reactions and ideological polarization in the digital public sphere.Theoretically, the study draws on Habermas’s (2003) concept of the public sphere, Castells’s (2013) theory of the network society, and Hall’s (1997) theory of representation, while employing Van Dijk’s (2008) Critical Discourse Analysis as the main methodological framework. Empirical data were collected from user comments under YouTube videos published by Tele1 and Halk TV, containing 3,978 and 2,145 comments respectively. To ensure qualitative depth, a purposive sample of 100 comments (50 from each channel) was analyzed.Findings reveal three dominant discursive tendencies: (1) grief and empathy discourse, (2) institutional and ethical criticism, and (3) hate and exclusionary discourse. Overall, the study concludes that the democratic potential of the digital public sphere can be undermined by the dynamics of speed, anonymity, and emotional mobilization, which foster polarization and normalize hate speech.