A Study on the Reactions of Turkish YouTube Users to Migration and Migrant Issues

This study aims to analyze the discourses of YouTube users in Turkey regarding migration and immigrant issues, thereby revealing the ideological attitudes and societal perceptions propagated on social media. Specifically, it examines how the economic, cultural, and security-based impacts of increased migration flows following the Syrian civil war are articulated on digital platforms. In the study, comments posted beneath four YouTube videos were subjected to thematic analysis using the MAXQDA software, after which exemplary comments that best reflected the identified themes were evaluated in depth through critical discourse analysis. This methodological approach seeks to decipher the meaning structures individuals construct around migration, as well as their cultural and identity-related concerns and perceptions of the state. The findings indicate that the majority of comments (69%) contain explicitly anti-immigrant discourses. The most prevalent themes include the socio-economic effects of migration (40.42%), calls for collective action and anxieties about the future (37.29%), and perceived security and cultural threats (30.50%). Migrants are frequently framed as “invaders,” “burdens,” or “threats,” with these expressions reinforced by nationalist and conservative discourses. Distrust toward the state and political authority, societal passivity, and perceived threats to national identity emerge prominently in the comments. On the other hand, only 1% of the comments reflect a humanitarian and empathetic perspective toward migrants, yet these discourses remain marginalized against the dominant narrative. These findings underscore the prevalence of anti-immigration discourses on social media and its potential to deepen societal polarization.