Activism or Slacktivism? A Content-Framing Analysis of the 2020 #ChallengeAccepted Campaign against Feminicides in Turkey

Online activism can be expressed through many forms. While advocates
claim that it is a fully-fledged form of activism, opponents state that it is no
more than vain ‘slacktivism’. Against this background, this work analyses the
‘#ChallengeAccepted’ movement, which went ‘viral’ in July 2020 to raise
awareness about femi(ni)cides in Turkey, in the aftermath of the murder of
the female student Pinar Gültekin. Focusing on the use of the hashtag via
Twitter, the work embraces the perspective of online activism as a “continuum
of participation”, composed of several levels. The results show how
hashtag activism has worked as a means of knowledge dissemination and
action, and that also slacktivism has contributed to the cause, thanks to the
“oxygen of amplification” effect, which made users inform and get informed,
refocus the campaign towards its original purpose when it digressed, and
distribute its message.