Mine Gencel Bek

Prof. Mine Gencel Bek is a media studies scholar affiliated with the University of Siegen's Collaborative Research Center Transformations of the Popular (SFB 1472). As a Professor and co-PI of Subproject C01, she examines representational claims in Turkish social media amid generative AI. Previously, she held a professorship at Ankara University’s Journalism Department until her dismissal in 2017 for signing the Academics for Peace petition. Her career includes roles as a lecturer at MIT’s Comparative Media Studies (2013–2014), vice chair of KASAUM (2008–2010), and research associate at Ankara University (1991).

Her research focuses on digital media’s societal impacts, including disinformation, populism, gender, and memory. Key areas include:

• Algorithmic disinformation and deepfakes
• Social media’s role in crises and political movements
• Journalism’s evolution in the digital age
• Exile narratives and memory practices

Her recent work analyzes Turkey’s earthquake response on social media, digital memory practices around Gezi Park protests, and migrant women’s visual storytelling. She also critiques state power’s manipulation of media discourse.

Current projects include AG8 (Global Dimensions of Popularity) and FW3 (Technography and Corpus Hermeneutics). Her publications span peer-reviewed books, blogs, and policy critiques, emphasizing critical pedagogy and marginalized voices.