Comparative Analysis of Social Media Posts on Immigration and Identity Policies: The Case of Turkey and Japan

Öz

This study examines how state institutions in Turkey and Japan utilize social media to discursively construct national identity in the context of migration. Through a comparative critical discourse and content analysis, it investigates the following research question: How do the official social media channels of the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications and Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications frame migration and negotiate the inclusion of migrants into their respective national identities? Data comprise posts from YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) accounts containing keywords related to migration (2019-2025). The analysis reveals two distinct models. Turkish discourse leverages religious-historical metaphors (e.g., ensar-muhacir), emotional narratives, and humanitarian themes to foster a sense of cultural belonging and integration. Conversely, Japanese discourse presents migration primarily as a technical solution to demographic and economic challenges, emphasizing bureaucratic procedures, regional revitalization, and systemic adaptation, while largely avoiding direct cultural or identity-based appeals. The findings demonstrate that social media serves as a key ideological arena where states perform identity politics, with strategies deeply rooted in divergent historical, cultural, and political contexts. This study contributes to understanding the digital dimensions of public diplomacy and the discursive mechanisms of migrant integration in the age of networked communication.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Migration
• National Identity
• Social Media
• Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey
• Discourse
• Identity Construction
• Public Communication

Göç ve Kimlik Politikalarına İlişkin Sosyal Medya Paylaşımlarının Karşılaştırmalı Analizi: Türkiye ve Japonya Örneği

Öz

Bu çalışma, Türkiye ve Japonya'daki devlet kurumlarının, göç bağlamında ulusal kimliği söylemsel olarak inşa etmek için sosyal medyayı nasıl kullandığını incelemektedir. Karşılaştırmalı eleştirel söylem ve içerik analizi yöntemiyle şu araştırma sorusuna yanıt aranmaktadır: Türkiye Cumhurbaşkanlığı İletişim Başkanlığı ve Japonya İçişleri ve İletişim Bakanlığı'nın resmi sosyal medya kanalları, göç olgusunu nasıl çerçeveliyor ve göçmenlerin ulusal kimliklerine dâhil edilmesini nasıl müzakere ediyor? Araştırmanın verisini, her iki kurumun YouTube ve X (eski adıyla Twitter) hesaplarında göç ile ilgili anahtar kelimeler içeren ve 2019-2025 dönemini kapsayan paylaşımlar oluşturmaktadır. Analiz, birbirinden belirgin biçimde ayrışan iki model ortaya koymaktadır. Türkiye'ye ait söylem, dini-tarihsel metaforları (ensar-muhacir), duygusal anlatıları ve insani temaları kullanarak, kültürel aidiyet ve toplumsal uyumu teşvik eden bir model geliştirmiştir. Buna karşılık, Japonya'ya ait söylem göçü temel olarak demografik ve ekonomik zorluklara yönelik teknik bir çözüm olarak sunmakta; bürokratik prosedürlere, bölgesel canlandırmaya ve sisteme uyuma vurgu yaparken, doğrudan kültürel veya kimlik temelli çağrılardan büyük ölçüde kaçınmaktadır. Bulgular, sosyal medyanın devletlerin kimlik politikalarını icra ettikleri temel bir ideolojik alan işlevi gördüğünü ve bu stratejilerin her iki ülkenin tarihsel, kültürel ve siyasi bağlamlarından derinlemesine beslendiğini göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, ağ tabanlı iletişim çağında kamu diplomasisinin dijital boyutlarını ve göçmen entegrasyonunun söylemsel mekanizmalarını anlamaya yönelik bir katkı sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Göç
• Ulusal Kimlik
• Sosyal Medya
• Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanlığı İletişim Başkanlığı
• Japonya İçişleri ve İletişim Bakanlığı
• Söylem
• Kimlik İnşası
• Kamu İletişimi

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