Turks have flooded the Internet with pleas for the media to cover anti-government demonstrations that have rocked Istanbul and other Turkish cities this week.
Via: Umit Bektas / Reuters
The Turkish government's harsh response to demonstrators in Istanbul has spurred large-scale anti-government protests across Turkey and a subsequent digital DIY PR movement by concerned Turks and others to make sure the world knows what's happening.
The protests, which began as a sit-in to stop the removal of trees to make room for a mall in a popular Istanbul park, has grown into a demonstration against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government. Turks hoping to spread the story of what's happening in their country as widely as possible have taken to social media to share images from the protests. Although most of the images are accurate, some are old and misleading, creating a government narrative that social media has manipulated the public's perception of what's really going on.
One popular Tumblr post filled with images purportedly from the protests has racked up 123,285 notes in a day. "The revolution will not be televised," it reads. "You can help by tagging the following news outlets on Twitter."
Source: fonbaligi.tumblr.com
Concerned digital citizens responded with reblogs, tagged tweets and emails to make sure the media was covering Turkey.
