41 Ayla Yıldırım & Martin A. M. Gansinger The juxtaposition effect of online communication on social environments, including gender discrimination and political opinion Abstract: Gender equalitв and political democracв are important factors that concern almost everв area of note in our modern era. Therefore, the notion that social media is to be considered as the mouthpiece of freedom of speech has achieved a status of powerful magnitude. It has also come to acceptance that the social media platforms have assumed the role of expressing opinions that could be barred from the established media arenas, thus making them ideal in terms of providing an outlet for the voice of the voiceless, so to speak. Yet, governments are able to block these platforms on a national scale. Key Words: Social Media, Gender, Political Opinion