Urban collective memory inside and outside social media: The case of Izmit historical Tekel building

This research examines the relationship between the demolition of the Izmit Historical Tekel Building Wall, located in the center of Izmit and demolished on April 3, 2021, and its relationship with collective memory. The aim of the research is to understand how the Izmit Historical Tekel Building Wall has a place in online and offline collective memory, how the recent demolition of the wall is perceived by the residents of that neighborhood, and how it makes them feel. Within the scope of this purpose, the research will analyze how this demolition is received in the reader’s comments on the news in the online local media and in the posts on social media and will make sense of how the collective memory of this historical building is reconstructed in these online channels. Two research methods, in-depth interviews and critical discourse analysis, will be used to conduct these investigations. Another important aim of the research is to measure the effects of the demolition on the local community. While analyzing these effects, questions such as how the demolition made the local residents feel in a positive or negative sense, how the building is related to their nostalgic memories, if they have any, and how this historical building has gained a cultural and historical place in the memory of the residents of the city will be asked.