The Political Use of Social Networking Sites in Turkey

Abstract

There are many developments affecting societal, cultural, and political relations. The ubiquitous spread of information and communication tools (ICTs) are among these developments. Studies in literature are not indifferent to the impacts brought about in politics by ICTs, particularly by social networking sites (SNSs). During the research, many studies were found that focus on changes and transformations induced by ICTs that unprecedentedly affect interactions and relationships in political life. SNSs, a part of ICTs, have transformative effects on elected and their voters. Though there are many papers that focus on SNSs and political use of SNSs, a void was observed in relevant literature focusing on synthesizing the literature on particular country cases. For this reason, a systematic literature analysis was performed. Findings of this chapter on the political use of SNSs in Turkey indicate that political actors do not fully take advantage of SNSs and their potentialities. The political use of SNSs presents a rhizomatic formation rather than being hierarchical.

Use of social networking in the Middle East: student perspectives in higher education

“…Several Jordanian studies ( Alshurideh et al., 2019 ; Habes et al., 2020 ; Malak et al., 2017 ) have discussed the benefits and risks associated with students' use of ICT and the Internet, although none of this research has discussed the benefits or risks of social networking within the HE sector. Finally, Turkish studies ( Fashakh et al., 2020 ; Gökalp et al., 2020 ; Goktalay and Ozdilek, 2016 ; Köse, 2016 ) have examined the use of LMS and Facebook in higher education as a means of increasing student involvement in discussions and communications with their peers and unit coordinators. However, to the best of our knowledge, none of the Middle Eastern studies, in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, has investigated the use of SN in relation to students' awareness of SN tools, the cultural impacts of the use of SN, and the issue of sustainability.…”