The Multi-Dimensional Controversy: Mapping Instagram's Response to Turkey's Stray Animals Policy

Authors : Kemal Günay, Nevra Üçler

Pages : 126-157

Doi:10.17572/mj2025.1.126-157

View : 62 | Download : 55

Publication Date : 2025-07-04

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :On July 30, the General Assembly of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) adopted a law proposal consisting of 17 articles, which came into effect after being published in the Official Gazette on August 2. The new regulation mandates that all stray dogs must be collected and kept in shelters until they are adopted. After the law proposal was accepted in the TBMM General Assembly, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a post on his Instagram account. However, the regulation has led to various public reactions due to uncertainties regarding its implementation. In this study, 2,021 user comments on President Erdoğan\\\'s Instagram post were analyzed to understand public perceptions of the law and the impact of political discourse. The comments were classified based on whether the law was supported or opposed, gender breakdown, types of discourse, and thematic content. The results show that reactions to the stray animals law reflect not only legal but also social, ethical, religious, and gender-based dimensions. Women were found to oppose the law more strongly, reflecting higher sensitivity toward animal rights. Additionally, most of the anti-law comments focused on \\\"Compassion & Animal Rights\\\" and “Governance Failure & Political Criticism”. These findings suggest that policies on animal welfare require a multidimensional approach.
Keywords : sokak hayvanları, hayvan hakları, Instagram, kamuoyu, kamusal söylem, kamu politikası

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