Research Article
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The Mediating Role of Party Image in the Relationship Between Social Media Activities of Local Governments and Corporate Reputation

Year 2026, Volume: 26 Issue: 1 , 1 - 21 , 29.04.2026
https://doi.org/10.30976/susead.1706497
https://izlik.org/JA89JX98KR

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is to examine the impact of social media content created and shared through the official accounts of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality on the institution’s image and reputation. Furthermore, the study investigates whether political party image plays a mediating role in the relationship between social media activities and corporate reputation.

A survey was administered to individuals who follow the official social media accounts of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, using scales for social media activities, party image, corporate reputation, and demographic variables. The data were collected online via Google Forms using the snowball sampling method through WhatsApp and email. Out of the responses collected, 430 were deemed suitable for analysis.

In this study, the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method was employed to test the theoretical model. The analyses were conducted using SmartPLS 4, a robust software for evaluating complex structural models and multivariate relationships. The results indicate that political party image partially mediates the relationship between social media activities and corporate reputation.

JEL Codes: M31 (Marketing), D83 (Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge Communication), C38 (Classification Methods; Cluster Analysis), L82 (Entertainment; Media), H83 (Public Administration; Public Sector Information)

References

  • Agostino, D. &. (2023). Social media for accountability in the public sector: Implications for reputation and legitimacy. Public Management Review, 25(1), 1–22.
  • Alodat, A. T. (2023). The influence of social media on political awareness and electoral behavior: Evidence from Jordan. ournal of Political Marketing, 245–263.
  • Aula, P. (2010). Social media, reputation risk and ambient publicity management. Strategy & Leadership, 43-49. Barnett, M., Jermier, J., & Lafferty, B. (2006). Corporate reputation: The definitional landscape. Corporate reputation review, 26-38.
  • Bayoğlu, F., & Şentürk, Z. (2021 ). Belediyelerin Kurumsal Sosyal Medya Kullanımları Üzerine Bir Araştırma: İzmir’deki İlçe Belediyeler Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme. The Journal of Academic Social Sciences, 36-59.
  • Bekkers, V., & Edwards, A. (2016). Legitimacy and democracy: A conceptual framework for assessing governance practices. Governance and the democratic deficit, 35-60.
  • Bertot , J., Jaeger, P., & Grimes, M. (2010). Using ICTs to create a culture of transparency: E- government and social media as openness and anti-corruption tools for societies. Government information quarterly, 264-271.
  • Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. routledge.
  • Çelik, A., & Demir, B. (2022). Social media activities and municipal reputation: The mediating role of party image. Journal of Local Governance Studies, 14(2), 45-63.
  • Demirkent, İ., & Aydın, K. (2020). Belediyelerin sosyal medya kullanımı ve siyasi partilerle ilişkilendirilmesi. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi, 50:105-27.
  • DiStaso, M., McCorkindale , T., & Wright , D. (2011). How public relations executives perceive and measure the impact of social media in their organizations. Public Relations Review, 37(3):325-28.
  • Enli, G., & Skogerbø, E. (2013). Personalized campaigns in party-centred politics: Twitter and Facebook as arenas for political communication. Information, communication & society, 757-774.
  • Er, D., & Taydaş, O. (2024). Belediyelerin İletişim ve Bilgilendirme Aracı Olarak Sosyal Medya Kullanımlarına Yönelik Bir İnceleme. Communicata, 31-38.
  • Fombrun, , C., & Shanley, M. (1990). What's in a name? Reputation building and corporate strategy. Academy of management Journal, 233-258.
  • Fombrun, C., & C. B. M. Van Riel. . (2004). Fame and fortune: How Successful Companies Build Winning Reputations. New Jersey: FT Prentice Hall.
  • ForneL, C., & Larcker, D. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research , 39-50.
  • Geise, S. (2023). Visual political communication on social media: Persuasion, emotion, and trust in the digital age. Media and Communication, 34–46.
  • Goldsmith, R. (1997). Reputation: realizing value from the corporate image. The Service Industries Journal, 17(2), 354.
  • Gotsi, M., & Wilson, M. (2001). Corporate reputation: seeking a definition. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 24-30.
  • Gray, E., & Balmer, J. (1998). Managing corporate image and corporate reputation. Long Range Planning, 695-702.
  • Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T., Ringle, C., & Sarst, M. (2019). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publications (2nd ed). Jiang, M. (2022). Public trust, social media, and crisis communication in local governments. Government Information Quarterly, 39(4), 101759.
  • Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1):59-68.
  • Kietzmann, J., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I., & Silvestre, B. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business horizons, 54(3):241-51.
  • Kim, A., & Ko, E. (2012). Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business research, 65(10), 1480- 1486.
  • Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Kuşku Özdemir, E. (2024). Bütünleşik Pazarlama İletişim Aracı Olarak Sosyal Medyanın Kurumsal İtibar Yönetiminde Kullanımı: Halkla İlişkiler Yöneticilerinin Algıladıkları Fırsat ve Riskler. The Journal of International Scientific Researches , 9(3):197-215.
  • Kuzma, J. (2010). Asian government usage of Web 2.0 social media. European Journal of ePractice, 9:1-13.
  • Lee, S. &. (2020). Twitter engagement and citizen participation: Implications for municipal reputation. Government Information Quarterly, 37(4), 101-112.
  • Lees-Marshment, J. (2001). The Marriage of Politics and Marketing. Political Studies, 49(4):692-713. Lilleker, Darren, G., & Ralph , N. (2003). Not Big Brand Names but Corner Shops: Marketing Politics to a Disengaged Electorate. Journal of Political Marketing, 2(1):55-75.
  • Lovejoy, K., & Saxton, G. (2012). Information, community, and action: How nonprofit organizations use social media. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17(3):337-53.
  • Martínez, E., & Pina, J. (2003). The Negative Impact of Brand Extensions on Parent Brand Image. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 12(7):432-48.
  • Meirinhos, M. G. (2022). Reputation of public organizations: What dimensions are crucial? Administrative Sciences.
  • Melek, G. (2023). Political storytelling on Instagram: How local leaders shape party image through visuals. International Journal of Communication, 221–239.
  • Mergel, I. (2013). A framework for interpreting social media interactions in the public sector. Government Information Quarterly, 30(4):327-34.
  • ML Barnett, M., Jermier, J., & Lafferty, B. (3/2006). Corporate Reputation: The Definitional Landscape. Corporate Reputation Review, 26-38.
  • Ölmez, M. (2025). Üniversitelerin başarısında kurumsal yönetişim ve sürdürülebilirliğin rolü: Stratejik planların içerik analizi. Kafkas Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 265–293.
  • Scammell, M. (2007). Political Brands and Consumer Citizens: The Rebranding of Tony Blair. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 611(1):176-92.
  • Smith, G. (2009). Conceptualizing and Testing Brand Personality in British Politics. Journal of Political Marketing, 8(3):209-32.
  • Ting, T. T. (2024). Digital government: Social media as a mediator in technology acceptance with political knowledge, interest, and participation. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 14(4), e202454. Torres, L., & Pina, V. (2020). Social media use in Spanish local governments: Transparency and accountability effects on reputation. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 87(5), 789-807.
  • Tsai, W., & Men, L. (2013). Motivations and Antecedents of Consumer Engagement With Brand Pages on Social Networking Sites.,. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 13(2), 76-87.
  • Wartick, S. (2002). Measuring Corporate Reputation: Definition and Data. Business & Society, 41(4), 371-392.
  • Yeşildal, A. (2019). Sosyal Medya, Yerel Yönetimler ve Katılımcı Yönetim: Bilgi Çağında Belediyeler İçin Yeni Stratejiler. İnsan ve İnsan, 883–902.

Yerel Yönetimlerin Sosyal Medya Faaliyetleri ile Kurumsal İtibar Arasındaki İlişkide Parti İmajının Aracı Rolü

Year 2026, Volume: 26 Issue: 1 , 1 - 21 , 29.04.2026
https://doi.org/10.30976/susead.1706497
https://izlik.org/JA89JX98KR

Abstract

Araştırmanın amacı, sosyal medya platformları kullanılarak resmi hesaplar aracılığıyla İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi’nin kendisi tarafından oluşturulan sosyal medya içeriklerinin İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi’nin imaj ve itibarına etkisini araştırmaktır. Ayrıca, sosyal medya faaliyetleri ile kurumsal itibar arasındaki ilişkide parti imajının aracı bir etkisinin olup olmadığı araştırılmıştır.
Araştırma kapsamında İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediye resmi sosyal hesaplarını takip eden kişilere sosyal medya faaliyetleri, parti imajı ve kurumsal itibar ölçeği ile demografik değişkenler kullanılarak hazırlanan bir anket uygulanmıştır. Anket verileri, kartopu örneklemesi yöntemiyle online olarak whatsap ve mail üzerinden google form üzerinden toplanmıştır. Bu çerçevede, elde edilen anketlerden 430 tanesi değerlendirmeye uygun bulunmuştur. Çalışmada, teorik modelin test edilmesi amacıyla kısmi en küçük kareler yöntemi kullanılmıştır. İlgili analizler, yapısal modelin karmaşık yapısını ve çoklu değişkenli ilişkileri değerlendirmede güçlü bir araç olan SmartPLS 4 yazılımı aracılığıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Yapılan analizler sonucunda, siyasi parti imajının, sosyal medya faaliyetleri ile kurumsal itibar arasındaki ilişkide kısmi aracılık rolü oynadığını göstermektedir
JEL Kodu: M31 Pazarlama, D83 Bilgi, Bilgi Paylaşımı ve Bilgi Ağları, C38 Faktör Analizi, Kümeleme, Sınıflandırma (İstatistiksel Yöntemler), L82 Eğlence, Medya (Sosyal medya dahil), H83 Kamu Sektöründe Bilgi Hizmetleri; E-devlet

Ethical Statement

Etik Beyan uygunluk raporu alınmıştır.

Supporting Institution

Marmara Üniversitesi

References

  • Agostino, D. &. (2023). Social media for accountability in the public sector: Implications for reputation and legitimacy. Public Management Review, 25(1), 1–22.
  • Alodat, A. T. (2023). The influence of social media on political awareness and electoral behavior: Evidence from Jordan. ournal of Political Marketing, 245–263.
  • Aula, P. (2010). Social media, reputation risk and ambient publicity management. Strategy & Leadership, 43-49. Barnett, M., Jermier, J., & Lafferty, B. (2006). Corporate reputation: The definitional landscape. Corporate reputation review, 26-38.
  • Bayoğlu, F., & Şentürk, Z. (2021 ). Belediyelerin Kurumsal Sosyal Medya Kullanımları Üzerine Bir Araştırma: İzmir’deki İlçe Belediyeler Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme. The Journal of Academic Social Sciences, 36-59.
  • Bekkers, V., & Edwards, A. (2016). Legitimacy and democracy: A conceptual framework for assessing governance practices. Governance and the democratic deficit, 35-60.
  • Bertot , J., Jaeger, P., & Grimes, M. (2010). Using ICTs to create a culture of transparency: E- government and social media as openness and anti-corruption tools for societies. Government information quarterly, 264-271.
  • Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. routledge.
  • Çelik, A., & Demir, B. (2022). Social media activities and municipal reputation: The mediating role of party image. Journal of Local Governance Studies, 14(2), 45-63.
  • Demirkent, İ., & Aydın, K. (2020). Belediyelerin sosyal medya kullanımı ve siyasi partilerle ilişkilendirilmesi. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi, 50:105-27.
  • DiStaso, M., McCorkindale , T., & Wright , D. (2011). How public relations executives perceive and measure the impact of social media in their organizations. Public Relations Review, 37(3):325-28.
  • Enli, G., & Skogerbø, E. (2013). Personalized campaigns in party-centred politics: Twitter and Facebook as arenas for political communication. Information, communication & society, 757-774.
  • Er, D., & Taydaş, O. (2024). Belediyelerin İletişim ve Bilgilendirme Aracı Olarak Sosyal Medya Kullanımlarına Yönelik Bir İnceleme. Communicata, 31-38.
  • Fombrun, , C., & Shanley, M. (1990). What's in a name? Reputation building and corporate strategy. Academy of management Journal, 233-258.
  • Fombrun, C., & C. B. M. Van Riel. . (2004). Fame and fortune: How Successful Companies Build Winning Reputations. New Jersey: FT Prentice Hall.
  • ForneL, C., & Larcker, D. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research , 39-50.
  • Geise, S. (2023). Visual political communication on social media: Persuasion, emotion, and trust in the digital age. Media and Communication, 34–46.
  • Goldsmith, R. (1997). Reputation: realizing value from the corporate image. The Service Industries Journal, 17(2), 354.
  • Gotsi, M., & Wilson, M. (2001). Corporate reputation: seeking a definition. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 24-30.
  • Gray, E., & Balmer, J. (1998). Managing corporate image and corporate reputation. Long Range Planning, 695-702.
  • Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T., Ringle, C., & Sarst, M. (2019). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publications (2nd ed). Jiang, M. (2022). Public trust, social media, and crisis communication in local governments. Government Information Quarterly, 39(4), 101759.
  • Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1):59-68.
  • Kietzmann, J., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I., & Silvestre, B. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business horizons, 54(3):241-51.
  • Kim, A., & Ko, E. (2012). Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business research, 65(10), 1480- 1486.
  • Kline, R. B. (2015). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Kuşku Özdemir, E. (2024). Bütünleşik Pazarlama İletişim Aracı Olarak Sosyal Medyanın Kurumsal İtibar Yönetiminde Kullanımı: Halkla İlişkiler Yöneticilerinin Algıladıkları Fırsat ve Riskler. The Journal of International Scientific Researches , 9(3):197-215.
  • Kuzma, J. (2010). Asian government usage of Web 2.0 social media. European Journal of ePractice, 9:1-13.
  • Lee, S. &. (2020). Twitter engagement and citizen participation: Implications for municipal reputation. Government Information Quarterly, 37(4), 101-112.
  • Lees-Marshment, J. (2001). The Marriage of Politics and Marketing. Political Studies, 49(4):692-713. Lilleker, Darren, G., & Ralph , N. (2003). Not Big Brand Names but Corner Shops: Marketing Politics to a Disengaged Electorate. Journal of Political Marketing, 2(1):55-75.
  • Lovejoy, K., & Saxton, G. (2012). Information, community, and action: How nonprofit organizations use social media. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17(3):337-53.
  • Martínez, E., & Pina, J. (2003). The Negative Impact of Brand Extensions on Parent Brand Image. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 12(7):432-48.
  • Meirinhos, M. G. (2022). Reputation of public organizations: What dimensions are crucial? Administrative Sciences.
  • Melek, G. (2023). Political storytelling on Instagram: How local leaders shape party image through visuals. International Journal of Communication, 221–239.
  • Mergel, I. (2013). A framework for interpreting social media interactions in the public sector. Government Information Quarterly, 30(4):327-34.
  • ML Barnett, M., Jermier, J., & Lafferty, B. (3/2006). Corporate Reputation: The Definitional Landscape. Corporate Reputation Review, 26-38.
  • Ölmez, M. (2025). Üniversitelerin başarısında kurumsal yönetişim ve sürdürülebilirliğin rolü: Stratejik planların içerik analizi. Kafkas Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 265–293.
  • Scammell, M. (2007). Political Brands and Consumer Citizens: The Rebranding of Tony Blair. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 611(1):176-92.
  • Smith, G. (2009). Conceptualizing and Testing Brand Personality in British Politics. Journal of Political Marketing, 8(3):209-32.
  • Ting, T. T. (2024). Digital government: Social media as a mediator in technology acceptance with political knowledge, interest, and participation. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 14(4), e202454. Torres, L., & Pina, V. (2020). Social media use in Spanish local governments: Transparency and accountability effects on reputation. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 87(5), 789-807.
  • Tsai, W., & Men, L. (2013). Motivations and Antecedents of Consumer Engagement With Brand Pages on Social Networking Sites.,. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 13(2), 76-87.
  • Wartick, S. (2002). Measuring Corporate Reputation: Definition and Data. Business & Society, 41(4), 371-392.
  • Yeşildal, A. (2019). Sosyal Medya, Yerel Yönetimler ve Katılımcı Yönetim: Bilgi Çağında Belediyeler İçin Yeni Stratejiler. İnsan ve İnsan, 883–902.
There are 41 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Public Administration, Local Administrations , Digital Marketing, Service Marketing, Social Marketing
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Dilek Memiş 0009-0004-2534-283X

Submission Date May 26, 2025
Acceptance Date November 19, 2025
Publication Date April 29, 2026
DOI https://doi.org/10.30976/susead.1706497
IZ https://izlik.org/JA89JX98KR
Published in Issue Year 2026 Volume: 26 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Memiş, D. (2026). Yerel Yönetimlerin Sosyal Medya Faaliyetleri ile Kurumsal İtibar Arasındaki İlişkide Parti İmajının Aracı Rolü. Sosyal Ekonomik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 26(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.30976/susead.1706497