Digital Witnessing: A Psychological Exploration of Turkish Women’s Critical Consciousness and Identity to Gendered Violence News on Social Media

This dissertation investigates how young women in Türkiye psychologically experience and interpret news about gendered violence encountered on social media, with a focus on the interplay between these experiences, their gendered identities, and engagement with critical consciousness. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, nine women aged 21–26 who regularly consume or are exposed to gendered violence news on social media such as X and Instagram were interviewed. Participants rarely expressed belief in the possibility of systemic change. However, they are affectively engaged with digital witnessing, and their sense of duty and solidarity deeply influence their daily lives. This is also present in the continuous acts of support these women show, and in their increased social and psychological vigilance, underscoring that critical consciousness development is often negotiated through connection and care for others rather than perceived individual efficacy. By interpreting participants' lived experiences, I discuss the need for future research to address collective realities and emotional ambivalence in critical consciousness, as well as suggesting a framework for co-created care practices