THE DIGITAL CIRCULATION OF EMOTIONS AROUND THE ZARA CONTROVERSY: AFFECTIVE PUBLICS ON EKŞİ SÖZLÜK

Digital platforms are important public spaces where emotions circulate and collective meanings are produced. This study analyses Ekşi Sözlük entries about Zara’s “The Jacket” campaign to examine how affective reactions circulate on digital platfpanorms and how they gain meaning through affective practices and political positionings. The research was designed as a qualitative case study. The dataset consists of 226 entries posted between 10–15 December 2023 referring to the campaign, which were analyzed using thematic analysis, drawing on in vivo coding, emotion coding, and simultaneous coding techniques. The findings show that entries are organized across three analytical levels—affective reactions, affective practices, and political positionings—and that these converge around three main discursive positions: supportive, critical, and distanced. Overall, the study shows that affective debates on digital platforms function not only as expressions of emotion but also as public processes producing political divisions and collective action orientations.