DJ as a subcultural figure in Turkey

Transitioning from an agricultural society to an industrial society, there has also been a differentiation in culture as a superstructure institution. These differentiations include the reasons and forms of cultural production and the conditions and styles of cultural consumption. In an industrial society, culture is also produced industrially. This situation dulls the human ability to produce culture and art while also determining the consumption conditions. Music and entertainment, which can be considered part of culture, are not exempt from this situation. The production and consumption of culture, music, and entertainment, confined to a third space outside of home and workplace, have transformed from an activity conducted by active participants to an economic activity where participants acquire produced cultural products through purchase. Against mainstream music culture, it can be said that a music sub-counterculture characterized by practices such as style, appropriation, and cultural challenge has a history approaching a century. Understanding how the DJ figure, as a sub-counterculture element, is defined and transformed in a subcultural context in Turkey is important for predicting subsequent cultural transformations. The subject of this research, the definition, perceived meaning, social function, and impact of DJing in Turkey, has been explained through semi-structured online interviews with ten DJs identified using the snowball method and through online surveys shared by these individuals on their social media accounts. The data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis, the quantification of survey data, and analysis using the SPSS program, and interpreted in light of relevant literature.