Witnessing the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey through YouTube documentaries.

The earthquakes that occurred in Turkey on 6 February 2023 have been one of the most important disasters of recent history. In the aftermath of the earthquake, various segments of society wanted to witness the devastation first-hand, and YouTube documentaries became one of the popular forms of this testimony. The aim of this study is to map YouTube documentaries about these devastating earthquakes, focusing on the content and creators, and thus to draw a framework for the multidimensional situation of the disaster based on this witnessing. The documentary content shared on YouTube during the year following the earthquake was analysed through quantitative content analysis, categorizing the predefined video features of the platform and codes related to documentaries and documentary makers. The data shows that most of the documentaries were created in a participatory mode and a significant increase in the number of documentaries uploaded in the immediate aftermath and on the anniversary of the earthquake. The study also underlines the scope and diversity of the desire to witness the major disaster, while documentaries with an oppositional approach that criticize official discourses are associated with higher levels of audience engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]