Semiotic analysis of the Reddit R/Place 2022 event within the framework of public sphere

This study aims to analyze the online event called Reddit R/Place in the context of public sphere. In the study, the method of semiotic analysis has been used. The emergence of new communication technologies has radically affected communication and many areas of life. The concept of the public sphere has also been affected by this change, leading to the emergence of new forms of the public sphere. The ability of new communication technologies to provide users with interaction opportunities has become a very important point in terms of the public sphere. The development of the internet and technology is creating changes in many areas of human life. It is seen that the physical public sphere has started to intertwine with the virtual public sphere day by day. The development of Web 2.0 technologies and the emergence of social media platforms thereafter have played a significant role in this. Recently, the impact of social media platforms has been observed in many social movements. The social media platform named Reddit is among the important social media platforms globally with its high number of users. The online virtual event called R/Place, which is organized by Reddit and described as a social experiment, constitutes an important example in terms of examining the virtual dimension of the public sphere. In this context, the time-lapse image of the four-day Reddit R/Place event will be used to examine the virtual space where Turkish users came together to form a community and create artworks, and it will be evaluated within the framework of the public sphere through Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis method.