15 September 2026
Asst. Prof. Eda Türkay’s book chapter has been published!
The book chapter titled “Platform Capitalism and Climate Communication: A Critical Perspective on the Representation of Climate Change Emergency on Netflix” by Asst. Prof. Eda Türkay, an academic member of Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), Department of Radio, Television and Cinema, has been published in the book “Word of the Year: Social Memory, Communication and Meaning.”
Edited by Asst. Prof. Özlem Tuğçe Keleş, the book examines the “word of the year” concepts that came to the fore between 2015 and 2025 within the framework of social memory, communication and meaning. Published by AI.Labs Publishing, the volume brings together evaluations of contemporary concepts by researchers from different disciplines.
Climate emergency examined through digital platforms
Asst. Prof. Türkay’s book chapter focuses on the role of digital platforms in climate communication, taking the concept of “climate change emergency,” selected as the word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2019, as its point of departure. The study emphasizes that climate change should be addressed not only as an environmental issue but also as a multidimensional field that needs to be considered together with media, communication, representation and platform policies.
The chapter discusses to what extent the urgency of climate change is made visible on Netflix through the platform’s content policies and tagging system. Taking into account the capacity of digital platforms to reach large audiences, Asst. Prof. Türkay critically evaluates the potential of these media to raise climate awareness.
A critical perspective on Netflix’s content policies
The study puts forward the view that Netflix positions climate change within the logic of the platform as a consumable content category rather than addressing it as a social crisis requiring urgent solutions. In this context, it states that despite its existing capacity for interaction, the platform does not sufficiently use its potential to raise awareness about the urgency of climate change.
The research also notes that climate-themed content is mostly presented through individual responsibility and sustainable lifestyle practices, while the structural inequalities and systemic causes behind the climate crisis remain insufficiently visible. Asst. Prof. Türkay argues that this approach may create short-term awareness among viewers but may push the need for collective and structural transformation into the background.
Contributing to sustainable media discussions
The book chapter underlines the importance of Netflix creating tags such as climate change emergency, climate crisis and climate urgency; preparing curatorial collections in this field; and making climate-themed content more visible in its recommendation systems. The study draws attention to the need to evaluate digital platforms not only as content providers but also as actors that shape the visibility of social issues.
The chapter titled “Platform Capitalism and Climate Communication” contributes to current debates in the fields of climate communication, digital platforms, sustainable media and representation policies.
As Istanbul Gelisim University Faculty of Fine Arts, we congratulate Asst. Prof. Eda Türkay and wish her continued success in her academic work.