The Role of New Media in Political Participation in Turkey

OpenAlex · İngilizce

Intensive use of new media and particularly the Internet caused an active society in social and political ways and increased political participation. Media outlook in Turkey underwent a transformation as new media offered more political content compared to conventional communication tools. Although political effects of new media are widely debated, it altered the affinity of society towards political data, politicians, political parties, governments and political processes. This paper analyses the effects of conventional and new media on Turkey General Elections held in June 2015. It studies how media tools like blogs, social network websites, micro-blogs, wikis, podcasts and news websites affect people's habits of news consumption, and the interconnection between political participation behavior and interest in news delivered by such media tools. Quantitative data has been derived through a questionnaire carried out with participation of 300 people from almost all ages, income levels and education levels. The research also includes general descriptive information about new media technologies and their force in politics, and people's approach to internet news about political participation.