Safeguarding Truth in Turmoil: A Study of the Turkish Government's Strategic Deployment of Twitter during the February 6, 2023, Earthquakes

Abstract

This article examines crisis communication and public diplomacy through social media, especially in the context of the earthquakes that occurred in Türkiye on February 6, 2023. The study underscores the critical roles of accurate information dissemination, public trust cultivation, and disinformation prevention. Focusing on the experiences of leading government offices, particularly their Twitter responses, this research demonstrates the interconnectedness of crisis communication, digital diplomacy and central importance of strategic integration in the digital age. Using a dataset of 2,997 tweets from six government Twitter accounts, the MAXQDA 2020 analysis explores the dynamics of the relationship between Turkish public diplomacy, crisis communication, and social media, and offers insights into resilient communication frameworks in global governance. The effectiveness of the government's communication efforts is evident in the strategic use of Twitter as a dynamic tool for real-time dissemination of information during crises, underlining the government's proactive and responsive stance in crisis communication.