How Do Social Media Users in Turkey Differ in Terms of Their Use Habits and Preferences?

Abstract

Considering their effects and capacity, social media dominate mainstream media nowadays. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there are any differences among social media users in Turkey by observing the behavioral patterns of specific groups of users in terms of activities, preferences, and use habits. The study examines to what extent or by whom social media tools are actively used in Turkey and which factors promote the current use of social media. The authors used cluster analysis to classify a sample of 530 Turkish social media users, based on the users' specific activities (i.e., just following others, following and participating, and/or original content creation) on social media platforms. The results indicate that Turkish social media users can be grouped into five clusters; namely, social pioneers, observers/watchers, content creators, engagers, and game lovers. The authors found that there is widespread consumption among Turkish users, but that they use social media primarily to follow others in order to learn and to interact socially. Using social media for original content creation is not yet common. The findings of this study can be useful for further social media research in the digital marketing field globally.

Keywords: Social media, web 2.0, creative consumers, user-generated content, cluster analysis