From Online to the Streets: Applying the Integrative Model of Activism to Türkiye's Refugee Issue

This study tests the Integrative Model of Activism (IMA) developed by Chon and Park (2020) in the context of the refugee issue in T & uuml;rkiye and extends the theoretical framework by incorporating the subjective norm variable. T & uuml;rkiye provides a particularly relevant context for exploring the transitional dynamics between online and offline activism, given the persistence of strong social belonging and the increasing visibility of political engagement on digital platforms. This study is based on data collected through an online survey of university students (N = 638) and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results demonstrate that problem recognition and involvement recognition significantly increase situational motivation, whereas constraint recognition exerts a negative influence. Situational motivation was found to increase social media activism but did not directly affect offline activism. Additionally, perceptions of affective injustice and subjective norms were found to directly and significantly impact both social media and offline activism. In addition, social media self-efficacy emerged as a strong predictor of social media activism. Social media activism significantly predicts offline activism, mediating the relationship between situational motivation and offline activism. The model's goodness-of-fit indices indicate an acceptable level of fit (e.g., CFI = 0.933; RMSEA = 0.052). These findings reveal that social media activism can trigger online participation as well as offline political action. The study presents implications for policymakers and civil society actors in developing strategies for digital citizenship, political communication, and social cohesion.

Journal

SAGE OPEN

Year

2026

Volume

16

Issue

1

ISSN

2158-2440

DOI

10.1177/21582440261423601

WoS UID

WOS:001701752900001