Safeguarding Truth in Turmoil: A Study of the Turkish Government’s Strategic Deployment of Twitter during the February 6, 2023, Earthquakes Zor Zamanlarda Hakikati Koruma: 6 Şubat 2023 Depremleri Sırasında Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Hükümetinin Stratejik Twitter Kullanımı

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HOŞTUT S., GÜDEKLİ İ. A., Güzeldağ F.

Bilig, vol.2024, no.108, pp.51-82, 2024 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 2024 Issue: 108
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.12995/bilig.10803
  • Journal Name: Bilig
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Index Islamicus, Linguistic Bibliography, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Page Numbers: pp.51-82
  • Keywords: Crisis communication, disinformation, earthquake, public diplomacy, social media, Türkiye
  • Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
  • Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University Affiliated: No

Abstract

This article examines crisis communication and public diplomacy through social media, especially in the context of the earthquakes that occurred in Türkiye on February 6, 2023. The study under-scores the critical roles of accurate information dissemination, public trust cultivation, and disinformation prevention. Focusing on the experiences of leading government offices, particularly their Twitter responses, this research demonstrates the interconne-ctedness of crisis communication, digital diplomacy and central importance of strategic integration in the digital age. Using a dataset of 2,997 tweets from six government Twitter accounts, the MAXQDA 2020 analysis explores the dynamics of the relationship between Turkish public diplomacy, crisis communication, and social media, and offers insights into resilient communication frameworks in global governance. The effectiveness of the government’s communication efforts is evident in the strategic use of Twitter as a dynamic tool for real-time dissemination of information during crises, underlining the government’s proactive and responsive stance in crisis communication.