Abstract:

The developments in new communication technologies have also brought changes in the structure of politics. The fact that politicians are beginning to use mass communication tools today with the spread of social media rather than face-to-face communication has made these tools a strategic importance for politicians. Social media is often used by politicians in our country as a helpful and complementary tool and will continue to be used afterwards. During the 2017 constitutional referendum, social media tools were also actively used by political parties. This study compares the use and sharing of social media during the Constitutional Referendum of 16 April 2017 by the AK Party, CHP, MHP and HDP in the parliamentary group. The official YouTube pages and posts of the four parties examined between 1 February and 16 June 2017 were evaluated by content analysis method. Political parties’ YouTube posts have been evaluated by comparing their technical characteristics and kinds of attraction, such as the use of music, the type of image used. According to the findings obtained by the content analysis management, it has been found that political parties frequently use YouTube, propaganda and public information.

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