Most social media users in Turkey don't follow politicians' accounts

Almost 60 percent of social media users in Turkey don't keep up with politicians' accounts, a recent survey by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) revealed. Among those who do follow politicians online, 25.8 percent only keep up with figures who are close to their own political affiliation, the daily Hürriyet reported on March 10.

Wednesday March 10 2021 01:21 pm

Duvar English

A shocking 58.8 percent of Turkey's population doesn't follow political figures on social media, a recent survey by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) revealed.

Among those who do follow politicians online, 25.8 percent only keep up with figures who are close to their own political affiliation, the daily Hürriyet reported on March 10, indicating that at least one fourth of the population consume media in their own echo chambers.

Almost half of the population, 45.1 percent said that they never follow political discussions, 35.2 percent said that they follow them rarely, and only 19.7 percent said that they follow political news consistently.

A large majority of social media users, some 68.9 percent, said that they never participate in political discussions on social media, while six percent said that they often participate in such debates.

The users were split on whether social media can help them get to know politicians more, with 32.4 percent responding positively, versus 36.6 percent who said that the platforms were not useful.

Some 44 percent of participants said that they don't find discussions on social media to be as convincing as real life debates, and 79.6 percent said that fake accounts should be shut down.