The Use of Social Medıa As a Political Communication Tool in Political Marketing Twitter(X) Usage and Discourse of The Candidates in the Second Round of The XIII. Elections

Abstract

Purpose – During the second round of the XIII. presidential election (14.05.2023-28.05.2023), it is the examination of the social media posts of the candidates on Twitter (X) in terms of political communication. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used decently in the research. In this context, in the study, frequency analysis was used in the analysis of quantitative data taken from the posts made by the two candidates who reached the second round during the XIII. presidential election process via their official Twitter (X) accounts during the date range determined during this election process (14.05.2023-28.05.2023), and categorical analysis was used for the analysis of the content of these posts. The Maxqda 2022 program was used for categorical analysis, and the findings obtained were presented with both tables and graphs. Findings – In terms of quantitative values, XIII. It was determined that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, one of the two candidates in the presidential second round process, had a higher number of accounts both followed and unfollowed, and also included more visual elements in his posts, whereas the average number of views of the tweets shared by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu was higher in the said period. In terms of qualitative values, both candidates mainly concentrated on posts in the "Expressing Their Opinions" and "Related to the Agenda" categories, while Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shared more posts in the "Emphasis on Unity and Solidarity", "Making Wishes" and "Thanks" categories. Discussion – According to the research, it is observed that social media as a means of political communication is used more effectively in political media every day. However, the unilateral use of Twitter (X) by both candidates in the process in question, the fact that they do not give much space to interaction, can be said to be deficiencies in the use of social media. In the study, it is also suggested that higher education related to the use of social media in terms of political communication will be useful trainings to be given in the disciplines of Political Sciences and Public Relations.