TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Utilization of Social Media by Women's Associations: A Study on UN Women’s Communication Strategies on TikTok
TT  - Kadın Örgütlerinin Sosyal Medya Kullanımı: BM Kadın Biriminin TikTok'taki İletişim Stratejileri Üzerine Bir Çalışma
AU  - Çakıcı, Zindan
PY  - 2025
DA  - September
Y2  - 2025
DO  - 10.18037/ausbd.1599604
JF  - Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi
JO  - AÜSBD
PB  - Anadolu Üniversitesi
WT  - DergiPark
SN  - 2667-8683
SP  - 281
EP  - 302
VL  - 25
IS  - 3
LA  - en
AB  - Women's entities utilize TikTok, a platform with over 1.5 billion users, as a strategic communication tool to engage individuals primarily within the 16-34 age demographic. UN Women established an official account on TikTok on March 4, 2020. A thorough analysis of the literature reveals a notable absence of academic inquiry into the communication strategies employed by UN Women on TikTok and other social media platforms. This study sought to analyse the themes, linguistic constructs, typologies, objectives, emotional undercurrents, formats, engagement metrics, and spokespersons of the posts on the TikTok account of UN Women, thereby elucidating the manner in which the entity engaged with the platform. Thus, the study aimed to contribute to the literature on the digital communication strategies of UN Women and the role of TikTok in the communication strategies of international entities operating within the field of women's rights. In the study, a content analysis was conducted on 164 posts disseminated through the UN Women TikTok account from March 4, 2020, to November 26, 2024. Upon analysis of the findings, it was determined that UN Women has employed elements such as music, subtitles, captions, and hashtags in its TikTok posts, thereby constructing an effective digital communication strategy. Moreover, the analysis revealed that the entity utilized various video formats to convey targeted messages to its audience. The findings indicated that the entity employed a strategy consistent with the platform's dynamic nature by incorporating a higher representation of youth in its videos. However, the analysis identified that the entity did not adequately address the needs of marginalized individuals and failed to fully implement the principle of multilingualism. Finally, the entity was found to have disseminated various content on TikTok addressing the issues faced by women. Nevertheless, it was determined that insufficient emphasis was placed on issues such as child marriage, the challenges encountered by migrant women, inequalities experienced by women with disabilities, and abortion rights.
KW  - Digital communication
KW  - social media
KW  - TikTok
KW  - UN women
KW  - gender equality
N2  - Kadın örgütleri, 1,5 milyardan fazla kullanıcısı bulunan TikTok'u, özellikle 16-34 yaş aralığındaki bireylere ulaşmak amacıyla stratejik bir iletişim aracı olarak kullanmaktadır. Birleşmiş Milletler Kadın Birimi de 4 Mart 2020'de TikTok'ta resmi bir hesap açmıştır. Literatür incelendiğinde, kuruluşun TikTok ve diğer sosyal medya platformlarındaki iletişim stratejilerine yönelik herhangi bir akademik araştırmanın bulunmadığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu çalışma, BM Kadın Birimi'nin TikTok hesabındaki paylaşımlarının temalarını, dilini, türlerini, amaçlarını, duygularını, formatlarını, etkileşim düzeylerini ve sözcülerini inceleyerek, TikTok'u nasıl kullandığını ortaya koymayı amaçlamıştır. Böylece, BM Kadın Birimi'nin dijital iletişim stratejilerine ve TikTok'un, kadın hakları alanında faaliyet gösteren uluslararası kuruluşların iletişim stratejilerindeki rolüne dair literatüre katkı sağlanması hedeflenmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında, kuruluşun TikTok hesabında 4 Mart 2020 ile 26 Kasım 2024 tarihleri arasında yayımlanan 164 paylaşım, içerik analizi ile incelenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, kuruluşun TikTok paylaşımlarında müzik, altyazı, açıklama ve hashtag gibi unsurları kullanarak etkili bir dijital iletişim stratejisi oluşturduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, kuruluşun farklı video türleri kullanarak takipçilerine etkili mesajlar iletmeye çalıştığı saptanmıştır. Kuruluşun, gençlere videolarda daha fazla yer vererek platformun dinamik yapısına uygun bir strateji izlediği görülmüştür. Fakat, kuruluşun TikTok’ta dezavantajlı bireylerin ihtiyaçlarını yeterince dikkate almadığı ve çok dillilik ilkesini yeterince uygulamadığı tespit edilmiştir. Son olarak, kuruluşun TikTok’ta kadınların karşılaştığı sorunlara dair çeşitli içerikler paylaştığı görülmüştür. Ancak, çocuk evlilikleri, göçmen kadınların karşılaştığı zorluklar, engelli kadınların eşitsizlikleri ve kürtaj hakkı gibi çeşitli sorunlara yeterince odaklanılmadığı saptanmıştır.
CR  - Alam, N. (2024). The impact of social media on women’s rights movements: Empowerment, challenges and future directions. International Journal of Emerging Knowledge Studies, 3(8), 463-469. https://doi.org/10.70333/ijeks-03-08-001
CR  - Aydemir, E. (2018). Birleşmiş Milletler kamu diplomasisi ve üçüncü dünya. İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi, 7(2), 583-601. https://doi.org/10.15869/itobiad.391648
CR  - Aytuna, E. N., Çakıcı, Z., & Özkaya, A. E. (2024). Entertainment and persuasion in online politics: A qualitative study of young voters' approach in Turkey's 2023 elections. In J. Al-Obaidi (Ed.), Changing global media landscapes: Convergence, fragmentation, and polarization (pp. 215-233). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-3767-7.ch012
CR  - Belotti, F., Comunello, F., & Corradi, C. (2023). Femicide, digital activism, and the# NiUnaMenos movement in Argentina. In The Routledge International Handbook on Femicide and Feminicide (pp. 495-504). Routledge.
CR  - Çakıcı, Z. (2024). Türk basınında düzensiz göçün görsel temsili: Taliban yönetimi sonrası Afgan göçü (Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi). Galatasaray Üniversitesi.
CR  - Çakıcı, Z. (2025). Tiktok as a political communication medium: An examination of the United Nations. İletişim Kuram ve Araştırma Dergisi (69), 136-156. https://doi.org/10.47998/ikad.1580671
CR  - Çakıcı, Z., & Aslıbay, E. (2025). The utilization of social media by far-right political parties: A study on Victory Party. In A. T. Vieira, A. F. Joaquim, & A. Duarte (Eds.), Digital populism and the use of neo-propaganda and fake news. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-9999-6
CR  - Çakıcı, Z., & Meriç, E. (2024). Exploring United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) TikTok landscape: Insights into migration representations. In S. Kir Elitaş (Ed.), Media representation of migrants and refugees (pp. 278-295). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-3459-1.ch017
CR  - Castillo-Abdul, B., Ortega Fernandez, E., & Romero-Rodriguez, L. M. (2024). Corporate social responsibility communication of male luxury fashion brands: Analysis on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Management Decision, 62(2), 471-491. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-09-2022-1316
CR  - Charlesworth, H., & Chinkin, C. (2013). The creation of UN Women (RegNet research paper series, 2013/7). Regulatory Institutions Network (RegNet).
CR  - Cheng, Z., & Li, Y. (2024). Like, comment, and share on TikTok: Exploring the effect of sentiment and second-person view on the user engagement with TikTok news videos. Social Science Computer Review, 42(1), 201-223. https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393231178603
CR  - Demirel, S., Bulur, N., & Çakıcı, Z. (2024). Utilizing artificial intelligence for text classification in communication sciences: Reliability of ChatGPT models in Turkish texts. In Design and development of emerging chatbot technology (pp. 218-235). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1830-0.ch013
CR  - Dhanesh, G., Duthler, G., & Li, K. (2022). Social media engagement with organization-generated content: Role of visuals in enhancing public engagement with organizations on Facebook and Instagram. Public Relations Review, 48(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2022.102174
CR  - Dieb, S., & Benneghrouzi, F. Z. (2022). Women’s empowerment in Algerian non-governmental organisations: Media as a strategy. Malek Bennabi Journal of Research and Studies, 4(2), 11-25. http://dspace.univ-tiaret.dz:80/handle/123456789/11423
CR  - Egbulefu, C. C., & Nwaoboli, E. P. (2023). Political digital advertising: Implications and way forward for Nigeria's 2023 general elections. KIU Interdisciplinary Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(1), 331-349. https://doi.org/10.59568/KIJHUS-2023-4-1-21
CR  - Fagundes-Ausani, M. (2025). Combating anti-feminism and building strategies for gender equality: The world of digital feminist media activism in Brazil and France. Politikon: The IAPSS Journal of Political Science, 59(1), 33-62. https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.12025.2.
CR  - Faltesek, D., Graalum, E., Breving, B., Knudsen, E., Lucas, J., Young, S., & Varas Zambrano, F. E. (2023). TikTok as television. Social Media+ Society, 9(3), 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051231194576
CR  - Fiammenghi, C., Covolo, L., Vanoncini, A., Gelatti, U., & Ceretti, E. (2024). Institutional health communication and social media: Exploring Italian hospitals’ use of social media pages. Digital Health, 10, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055207624124592
CR  - Fitria, T. N. (2023). Using TikTok application as an English teaching media: A literature review. Journal of English Teaching, Applied Linguistics and Literatures (JETALL), 6(2), 109-124. https://doi.org/10.55927/fjsr.v3i6.9007
CR  - Fotopoulou, A. (2016). Digital and networked by default? Women’s organisations and the social imaginary of networked feminism. New Media & Society, 18(6), 989-1005. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814552264
CR  - Gesmundo, M. A. G., Jordan, M. D. S., Meridor, W. H. D., Muyot, D. V., Castano, M. C. N., & Bandojo, A. J. P. (2022). TikTok as a platform for marketing campaigns: The effect of brand awareness and brand recall on the purchase intentions of millennials. Journal of Business and Management Studies, 4(2), 343–361. https://doi.org/10.32996/jbms.2022.4.2.27
CR  - Gheyle, N., & Jacobs, T. (2017). Content analysis: A short overview. Internal research note, 10, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.33689.31841
CR  - Gong, X., & Ye, X. (2021). Governors fighting crisis: Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic across US states on Twitter. The Professional Geographer, 73(4), 683-701. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2021.1895850
CR  - González-Aguilar, J. M., Segado-Boj, F., & Makhortykh, M. (2023). Populist right parties on TikTok: Spectacularization, personalization, and hate speech. Media and communication, 11(2), 232-240. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i2.6358
CR  - Han, L., & Liu, Y. (2024). When digital feminisms collide with nationalism: Theorizing “pink feminism” on Chinese social media. In Women's Studies International Forum, 105, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2024.102941
CR  - Hati, S., & Yuniati, I. (2023). Analysis of the use of social media TikTok to build brand awareness of Npure skincare products among Generation Z. Journal of Applied Business Administration, 7(2), 245-254. https://doi.org/10.30871/jaba.v7i2.6352
CR  - Jiang, Q., & Ma, L. (2024). Swiping more, thinking less: Using TikTok hinders analytic thinking. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 18(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2024-3-1
CR  - Jimenez, C., & Clark, L. S. (2022). BIPOC youth’s TikTok and Instagram usage to create productive disruptions in the U.S. In Y. Friesem, U. Raman, I. Kanizaj, & G. Y. Choi (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of media education futures post-pandemic (pp. 123-135). Routledge.
CR  - Kemp, S. (2025, February 5). Digital 2025 global overview report. We Are Social. https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2025/02/digital-2025/
CR  - Khairani, F. F., Indriana, L. U., Tirabusky, V. D., Dalimunthe, M. A., & Sazali, H. (2022). The use of TikTok in increasing brand awareness (Case study on Mie Gacoan followers in Medan). Jurnal ISO: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Politik dan Humaniora, 2(2), 181–188. https://doi.org/10.53697/iso.v2i2.832
CR  - Kogiou, A. (2025). The effects of the Greek'Metoo'movement on representations of femicide in the news media and social media. Envisioning the Future of Communication, 2(1), 509-522. https://doi.org/10.12681/efoc.7932
CR  - Kornprobst, M., & Redo, S. (Eds.). (2024). Reinvigorating the United Nations. Taylor & Francis.
CR  - Kumar, N., Raghunathan, K., Arrieta, A., Jilani, A., Chakrabarti, S., Menon, P., & Quisumbing, A. R. (2019). Social networks, mobility, and political participation: The potential for women’s self-help groups to improve access and use of public entitlement schemes in India. World development, 114, 28-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.09.023
CR  - Kutlu, İ. (2018). Birleşmiş Milletler Güvenlik Konseyi’nde reform tartışmaları. Bilge Strateji, 10(19), 177-200. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/bs/issue/44284/543823
CR  - Li, Y., & Xie, Y. (2020). Is a picture worth a thousand words? An empirical study of image content and social media engagement. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243719881113
CR  - Li, Y., Guan, M., Hammond, P., & Berrey, L. E. (2021). Communicating COVID-19 information on TikTok: A content analysis of TikTok videos from official accounts featured in the COVID-19 information hub. Health Education Research, 36(3), 261–271. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyab010
CR  - Li, Y., Liu, Q., & Wang, Y. (2022). The research on the usage behavior of TikTok short video platform in the elderly group. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 5, 189-197. https://doi.org/10.54097/ehss.v5i.2901
CR  - Lindgren, B. M., Lundman, B., & Graneheim, U. H. (2020). Abstraction and interpretation during the qualitative content analysis process. International journal of nursing studies, 108, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103632
CR  - Liu, H., Lee, K. T., & Bai, S. (2023). Exploring motivations for TikTok usage and impact factors of TikTokers’ continuance intention. Ingénierie des Systèmes d'Information, 28(2), 389-400. https://doi.org/10.18280/isi.280214
CR  - Lovejoy, K., & Saxton, G. D. (2012). Information, community, and action: How nonprofit organizations use social media. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17(3), 337–353. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2012.01576.x
CR  - Mariyati, L. I., & Wilmar, M. P. (2024). Examining the negative impact of TikTok usage on elementary students’ learning motivation: Menelaah dampak negatif penggunaan TikTok terhadap motivasi belajar siswa sekolah dasar. Indonesian Journal of Education Methods Development, 19(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.21070/ijemd.v19i3.835
CR  - McDonnell, E. J., Eagle, T., Sinlapanuntakul, P., Moon, S. H., Ringland, K. E., Froehlich, J. E., & Findlater, L. (2024, May 11-16). “Caption it in an accessible way that is also enjoyable”: Characterizing user-driven captioning practices on TikTok. In Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-16).
CR  - Menon, S. (2015). UN Women: Prospects and challenges [Briefing]. United Nations.
CR  - Meriç, E., & Çakıcı, Z. (2024). From TikTok trends to pandemic essentials: A comparative analysis of the World Health Organization's health communication strategies on TikTok. In Transformed communication codes in the mediated world: A contemporary perspective (pp. 1-23). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0896-7.ch001
CR  - Metin, O., & Ünal, Ş. (2022). İçerik analizi tekniği: İletişim bilimlerinde ve sosyolojide doktora tezlerinde kullanımı. Anadolu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 22 (Özel Sayı 2), 273-294. https://doi.org/10.18037/ausbd.1227356
CR  - Miele, C., Maquigneau, A., Joyal, C. C., Bertsch, I., Gangi, O., Gonthier, H., ... & Lacambre, M. (2023). International guidelines for the prevention of sexual violence: A systematic review and perspective of WHO, UN Women, UNESCO, and UNICEF's publications. Child Abuse & Neglect, 146, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106497
CR  - Nicmanis, M. (2024). Reflexive content analysis: An approach to qualitative data analysis, reduction, and description. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241236603
CR  - Nurmayani, I. D. (2025). Empowering women in the digital age: Legal strategies for gender equality inspired by Kartini’s Vision. Law and Judicial Review, 1(1/2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.70764/gdpu-ljr.2025.1(1)-01
CR  - Özdemir, M. (2023). Kahramanmaraş depreminde üniversitelerin sosyal medya kullanımlarının kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk modellerine göre incelenmesi. Uluslararası Sosyal Bilimler Akademik Araştırmalar Dergisi, 7(1), 42-53. https://doi.org/10.58201/utsobilder.1319426
CR  - Özmutlu, A., & Kandemir, S. (2021). Türkiye’de devlet ve vakıf üniversitelerinde sosyal medya kullanımı. Ordu Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi, 11(1), 102-115. https://doi.org/10.48146/odusobiad.857743
CR  - Partain, L. P. B. (2020). Speaking emissaries: Lebanese women’s rights NGO KAFA and its media use for audience mobilization. Gender, Place & Culture, 28(2), 253–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2020.1715350
CR  - Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
CR  - Rejeb, A., Rejeb, K., Appolloni, A., Treiblmaier, H., & Iranmanesh, M. (2024). Mapping the scholarly landscape of TikTok (Douyin): a bibliometric exploration of research topics and trends. Digital Business, 4 (0), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2024.100075
CR  - Rodriguez, N. S. (2016). Communicating global inequalities: How LGBTI asylum-specific NGOs use social media as public relations. Public relations review, 42(2), 322-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.12.002
CR  - Seibicke, H. (2017). Campaigning for gender equality through social media: The European Women’s Lobby. In M. Barisione & A. Michailidou (Eds.), Social media and European politics (pp. 125–144). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59890-5_6
CR  - Sudiantini, D., Nazira, N. A., Sari, R. N., Habibah, S., & Fizikri, B. A. (2024). Analysis of TikTok platform utilization in business marketing. International Journal of Innovation Research in Education, Technology and Management, 1(2), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.61098/ijiretm.v1i2.131
CR  - Thorvaldsdottir, S., Patz, R., & Eckhard, S. (2021). International bureaucracy and the United Nations system: Introduction. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 87(4), 695-700. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208523211038730
CR  - Wang, S., & Ji, Q. (2015). Video affective content analysis: A survey of state-of-the-art methods. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 6(4), 410-430. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2015.2432791
CR  - White, M. D., Marsh, E. E. (2006). Content analysis: A flexible methodology. Library trends, 55(1), 22-45. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2006.0053
CR  - Yaqin, A., Masruro, A., & Nawassarief, Y. (2022, 13-14 December). Analysis sentiment of President Vladimir Putin on Twitter social media using multinomial algorithm and Bernoulli. In 2022 6th International Conference on Information Technology, Information Systems and Electrical Engineering (ICITISEE) (pp. 335-339). IEEE.
CR  - Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2008). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (6th ed.). Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
UR  - https://doi.org/10.18037/ausbd.1599604
L1  - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4431787
ER  -