Research Article

City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye

Volume: 4 Number: 1 June 30, 2026
TR EN

City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye

Abstract

This study examines the social media performance of city councils, which have become one of the key instruments of local governance and participatory democracy in the digital age. The study analyzes the digital visibility and stakeholder engagement of 51 city councils in Türkiye with official Twitter accounts, based on four dimensions: popularity, engagement, diffusion, and a composite interaction index. In addition, average interaction rates per 1,000 followers were calculated to enable a more comparative evaluation. The findings reveal significant differences in social media performance among city councils. Provincial city councils achieved the highest interaction index, whereas metropolitan city councils generated lower levels of engagement despite having larger numbers of followers. Across all groups, popularity (likes) exceeded engagement through comments and reposts, indicating that users tend to prefer more superficial forms of interaction. Moreover, city councils with fewer followers often achieved higher engagement rates, suggesting that follower count alone is not a sufficient indicator of digital success. Overall, the findings suggest that city councils have considerable potential to use social media as an effective governance tool. However, this potential can be more fully realized through strategic social media management and greater emphasis on stakeholder-oriented content production.

Keywords

City Councils, Social Media, Engagement Analysis, Twitter, Türkiye

Ethical Statement

In this study, an OpenAI GPT-5-based generative artificial intelligence tool was used to improve the language and style of the manuscript, in accordance with the Ethical Guideline on the Use of Artificial Intelligence published by the Council of Higher Education and the Generative Artificial Intelligence Guide issued by TÜBİTAK.

Thanks

This article was derived from Rıdvan Tekin's master's thesis titled "Kent Konseylerinin Sosyal Medyada Paydaşlarıyla Etkileşimi: Twitter Örneği", completed at Bursa Uludağ University.

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APA
Tekin, R., & Gürses, F. (2026). City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye. Journal of Studies in Advanced Technologies, 4(1), 14-30. https://doi.org/10.63063/jsat.1941249
AMA
1.Tekin R, Gürses F. City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye. JSAT. 2026;4(1):14-30. doi:10.63063/jsat.1941249
Chicago
Tekin, Rıdvan, and Fatih Gürses. 2026. “City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye”. Journal of Studies in Advanced Technologies 4 (1): 14-30. https://doi.org/10.63063/jsat.1941249.
EndNote
Tekin R, Gürses F (June 1, 2026) City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye. Journal of Studies in Advanced Technologies 4 1 14–30.
IEEE
[1]R. Tekin and F. Gürses, “City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye”, JSAT, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 14–30, June 2026, doi: 10.63063/jsat.1941249.
ISNAD
Tekin, Rıdvan - Gürses, Fatih. “City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye”. Journal of Studies in Advanced Technologies 4/1 (June 1, 2026): 14-30. https://doi.org/10.63063/jsat.1941249.
JAMA
1.Tekin R, Gürses F. City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye. JSAT. 2026;4:14–30.
MLA
Tekin, Rıdvan, and Fatih Gürses. “City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye”. Journal of Studies in Advanced Technologies, vol. 4, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 14-30, doi:10.63063/jsat.1941249.
Vancouver
1.Rıdvan Tekin, Fatih Gürses. City Councils in the Digital Age: A Study on the Twitter Engagement Performance of City Councils in Türkiye. JSAT. 2026 Jun. 1;4(1):14-30. doi:10.63063/jsat.1941249