CYNICAL IDEOLOGY AS A PILLAR OF SUPPORT FOR AUTHORITARIANISM: THE CASE OF TURKEY AFTER MARCH 19 FROM A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE

This paper examines the complex mechanisms of mass compliance and support for authoritarianism and utilizes the Republic of Turkey as a primary case study. The analysis is made which is centered on the political process that was started with the events of March 19 and the wave of protests that followed. The research identifies this period as an important turning point in the trajectory of Turkish politics. In this paper, focus is on how ideological messages are received on social media platforms with an emphasis on the dissemination and interpretation of ideological narratives. Methodologically, the research uses Stuart Hall's renowned Encoding/Decoding model to examine the various ways audiences negotiate meaning. Furthermore, the research discusses the causes and forms of mass support for authoritarianism from the lens of ideology critique and integrates important theoretical concepts from Slavoj Žižek such as cynical ideology and totalitarian laughter. These concepts are used for exploring how performative irony and cynical distance may function to maintain the hegemony of the prevailing authoritarian ideology.