SOCIAL MEDIA’S INFLUENCE ON POLITICAL ATTITUDES THE CASE OF FACEBOOK IN TURKEY

Abdullah Türkmen

Abdullah Türkmen

Keywords: Social Media, online participation, Political thinking, university students, psychology analysis

Abstract

One of the main aims of the social media literature is to focus on how online conversation transforms online participation on the political thinking process. In this sense, the study investigates Facebook in Turkey, as a social media case, to comprehend the process of effective individual online political engagement. In order to do that qualitative data has been collected from two hundred ten students who were studying at seven different universities in Turkey’s seven geographical regions. Linear, correlation and regression analyses have been used to focus on developing five themes: membership, frequency and relevance in posting, connection of communication mediums and encouragement for online / offline participation. The study in particularly argues these themes through digital democracy and online public sphere. Thus, this study shall then conclude the process of political techno-social engagement and social cultural theory due to the fact that the data comes from a particular nation, in Turkey.

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