Is social media the new mainstream? / Rise of alternative media channels in the light of 2019 Turkish local elections

'Journalism as it is, is coming to an end' (Deuze, 2007:141). Turkish local elections on March 31st, 2019 and the repeated Istanbul mayoral elections on 23rd of June once more again have brought forward the role of traditional media on forming the public opinion. Traditional media whose format we have known for so long is at the end of its journey? Can't it work out its 'agenda setting' function anymore? It is not possible to claim that there is no radical transformation in the field of media and journalism especially in a world where technology is developing so rapidly and the social media ecosystem is expanding. Giant media organizations are putting an end to their printed publications one by one, while refining their investments in the digital and social media platforms. But these traditional media organizations have a chance to compete with the social networks, which currently constitute their own ecosystem, audience and broadcasting philosophy? So, what is the role of the media consumers and journalists in this ecosystem? While searching for answers to these questions in this research, we will also try to understand the new media order with the most up-to-date data of the today's digital world.