Sosyal medya ve Türk dış politikası: Kobani tweetleri üzerinden Türk dış politikası algısı

Recent technological advances enabling quick and effective dissemination of information on social media have made perceptions and attitudes of an electorate towards policy actions more sensitive. This sensitivity shapes the eminent link between domestic and foreign policies, especially in democracies. During the past fifteen years, foreign and domestic policy nexus in Turkey has become more prominent and critical. Many scholars have also appreciated the increasing importance of public opinion in Turkish foreign policy. This study contributes to the literature by examining the public opinion-Turkish foreign policy nexus using new methodology. Instead of conducting surveys, the study employs an algorithm, which groups tweets in Turkish with similar “sentiments.” With this innovative design, the study addresses two recently popular topics in Turkish political studies, foreign-domestic policy linkage and the role of social media in Turkish politics, via a recent political event – the siege of Kobane. The findings show that arising perceptions and attitudes in Twitter are organized over political party/ideological stance dimensions.