Civil society and new media in the context of gender: New media use by women's non-governmental organisations

Aim – The aim of this study is to reveal the levels of new/social media use by non-governmental organisations in Turkey. In addition, it is the other aim to determine how effectively women's non-governmental organisations use dialogic capacities of new/social media in creating interaction and dialogue in new media.In a broader perspective, it is to reveal the extent to which the struggle for women's rights/problems has been carried by means of the 21st century conditions and the reached technical opportunities (technology) especially for non-governmental organisations. Design / methodology – This research includes two extents and two parts. In the research, the use of new media by non-governmental organisations has been discussed in two seperate extents. The first one is the level of new media use by non-governmental organisations, and the second is the dialogic extent of new media use. In the first part of the study, the level of new media use and its dialogic extent have been analysed via the content analysis method and in the second part the interviews, done with the communication executives in non-governmental organisations, regarding the levels of new media use and its dialogic extent have been analysed via the descriptive analysis method. Significance / Authenticity – Specifying how women's non-governmental organisations take place in new media will increase the finding out innovative ways of raising in the arena and reaching the target audience and improving themselves. In this respect, this study is important in terms of providing a basis for the researchers who do the interdisciplinary studies in the fields of communication, gender and civil society as well as contributing to the literature as a comprehensive analysis that discusses the relationship between women's non-governmental organisations and new media, Also, it is of importance as a source that guides especially women's non-governmental organisations. Findings/conclusion – In the assessment within the scope of this study, it has been emerged that non-governmental organisations with different levels of new media use are not able to benefit from its opportunity of communication but use new media for one-way and mostly information purposes.