DIVORCE PARTIES ON INSTAGRAM: RE-INTERPRETING THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF CELEBRATION CULTURE AND DIGITAL PERFORMANCE

OpenAlex İngilizce

The digitalized society of the 21st century is witnessing the transformation of basic social institutions. In this context, the institution of marriage is also undergoing a transformation in terms of both meaning and form under the influence of digital culture. Particularly on social media platforms such as Instagram, where visuality is prominent, parties organized after divorce are exhibited with colorful decorations, themed cakes, ironic messages and visual posts that challenge social norms. In this context, this research aims to understand how divorce parties are represented on Instagram and how these representations are associated with concepts such as gender, privacy, individualization and institutional dissolution. The study examines the value system underlying these practices, where divorce is recoded as a celebrable "beginning", through semiotic analysis. The findings of the study reveal that the posts in question are mostly made by female users, that divorce is portrayed as a victory for women in the posts and that, on the one hand, it opens up a new space in the party and organization sector, while on the other hand, the end of the family is seen as a situation to be celebrated and carries the possibility of normalization.