Journals / Yeni Medya / 2026 / Sayı: 20

Staged Politics and TikTok: An Examination of the 2024 Local Elections

Sahnelenen Siyaset ve TikTok: 2024 Yerel Seçimler Üzerine Bir İnceleme

Serhat Madsar(NİĞDE ÖMER HALİSDEMİR ÜNİVERSİTESİ, İLETİŞİM FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0003-1152-1728
Journal
Yeni Medya
Pages
155–174
Publication Date
2026-06-27
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

On the other hand, it was determined that content was produced especially for Generation Z with music, dance and edits, political debates were given very limited space and politics was handled with the logic of a stage, show and entertainment.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:With the increasing use of the Internet and the diversification of social media platforms, social media environments where users are digital participants are becoming the center of political communication activities.
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Key Findings & Data:In this study, in order to examine the relationship between TikTok and political communication, the posts of three Metropolitan Mayor Candidates in the context of 2024 Local Elections were analyzed with qualitative content analysis technique.
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Conclusion & Impact:On the other hand, it was determined that content was produced especially for Generation Z with music, dance and edits, political debates were given very limited space and politics was handled with the logic of a stage, show and entertainment.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2024 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Sosyal Medya · TikTok · Siyasal İletişim

Abstract

With the increasing use of the Internet and the diversification of social media platforms, social media environments where users are digital participants are becoming the center of political communication activities. Social media environments offer an important communication tool in terms of reaching and interacting with young voters and creating political awareness and information. It is inevitable that TikTok will be used by political actors as an important part of the campaign process, especially since it has been used intensively by young people recently. In this study, in order to examine the relationship between TikTok and political communication, the posts of three Metropolitan Mayor Candidates in the context of 2024 Local Elections were analyzed with qualitative content analysis technique. In this direction, themes such as what kind of posts the candidates made, for what purpose they used TikTok, and the frequency of the posts were discussed. In the study, it was determined that two candidates did not actively use TikTok and four candidates included in the analysis made 111 posts in total; accordingly, it was observed that the candidates used TikTok in a limited way. On the other hand, it was determined that content was produced especially for Generation Z with music, dance and edits, political debates were given very limited space and politics was handled with the logic of a stage, show and entertainment.

Özet

İnternet kullanımın artması ve sosyal medya platformlarının çeşitlenmesi ile birlikte, kullanıcıların dijital katılımcı olduğu sosyal medya ortamları siyasal iletişim çalışmalarının merkezi haline gelmektedir. Genç seçmenlere ulaşma, etkileşime geçme, politik farkındalık ve bilgilendirme yaratma açısından sosyal medya ortamları önemli bir iletişim aracı sunmaktadır. Özellikle TikTok’un, son dönemlerde gençler tarafından yoğun bir şekilde kullanılması nedeniyle politik aktörler tarafından kampanya sürecinin önemli bir parçası olarak kullanılması kaçınılmazdır. Bu çalışmada TikTok ve siyasal iletişim ilişkisini incelemek amacıyla 2024 Yerel Seçimler bağlamında üç Büyükşehir Belediye Başkan Adaylarının paylaşımlarını nitel içerik analizi tekniği ile incelenmiştir. Bu doğrultuda adayların ne tür paylaşımlar yaptıkları, TikTok’un hangi amaçla kullandıkları, paylaşımların sıklığı gibi temalar ele alınmıştır. Çalışmada iki adayın TikTok’u aktif olarak kullanmadığı ve analize dâhil edilen dört adayın toplamda 111 paylaşım yaptığı saptanmış; bu doğrultuda adayların TikTok’u sınırlı bir şekilde kullandıkları gözlemlenmiştir. Bununla birlikte müzik, dans ve editlerle özellikle Z kuşağına yönelik içeriklerin üretildiği, siyasi tartışmalara oldukça sınırlı yer verildiği ve siyasetin bir sahne, gösteri ve eğlence mantığı ile ele alındığı saptanmıştır.

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Cite This Article

Madsar, S. (2026). Staged Politics and TikTok: An Examination of the 2024 Local Elections. Yeni Medya, Sayı: 20, 155–174. https://doi.org/10.55609/yenimedya.1770536

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