Sevin, Efe

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/33673

Browse

Now showing 1 - 18 of 18

From embassy ties to Twitter links: Comparing offline and online diplomatic networks
(Wiley, 2019-02-20) Sevin, Efe; Manor, Ilan; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
This article investigates how diplomatic networks move into a new digital media platform, namely Twitter, through the analytical lenses of networked diplomacy studies and mediatization. We employ the studies in the former field to argue for the need to study the entire network to evaluate diplomatic relations, rather than relying on bilateral relations alone. Mediatization is then introduced to argue that moving to a digital platform (i.e., digitization) is a process in which countries might end up enjoying different levels of technology adoption. We first use social network analysis to compare the sizes and structures of brick and mortar embassy networks and Twitter following–follower relationship networks among ministries and ministers of foreign affairs of 130 countries. We then present a theoretical explanation of digitization of diplomatic networks. Our findings suggest that the majority of countries still have a larger diplomatic presence offline compared to their Twitter network. However, the structures of offline and online networks are similar, showing that countries have diplomatic relations (whether brick and mortar embassies or Twitter links) with the same groups of countries. We conclude by presenting the variance of the digitization process among countries.
The politics of meaning and the city brand: The controversy over the branding of Ankara
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2012-07-27) Sevin, Efe; Hayden, Craig; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
This article presents analysis of a period of public argumentation over the city logo of Ankara, the capital of Turkey. These arguments comprise a 17-year episode of controversy that reveals insights into the politics of meaning behind city’s brand. Ankara’s logo functions as a contested ‘collective representation’ of the city’s brand identity, and paved the way to further discussions on its history, cultural identity and politics by various internal stakeholders. The significance of this research is two-fold. First, the Ankara case contributes to existing studies of place branding and semiotics, by examining the contending positions that complicate Ankara’s historical identity and the range of stakeholders that make up the ‘managerial apparatus’ of brand meaning. Drawing on communication studies, ‘controversy’ provides an analytical vehicle to consider claims to brand ownership, legitimacy and authority by various stakeholders, as well as to demonstrate the potential of public argumentation to transform and shape the practice of place branding.
Listening to President Obama: A Short examination of Obama’s communication practices
(SAGE, 2011-05-06) Sevin, Efe; Kimball, Spencer; Khalil, Mohammed; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
This article brings three divergent fields of expertise together to take a closer look at President Barack H. Obama’s first 2 years in office. From a theoretical perspective, the changes in the understanding of communication and their impacts on international affairs are discussed. From a domestic politics perspective, Obama’s policy making and practices for communicating these policies to the public are assessed. Obama’s record in responding to the demands and challenges of the 21st century are introduced from a foreign politics standpoint. It is now known that the promises given and the practices employed during the election campaigns encourage government transparency, open communication, and grassroots movements. The authors argue that it is up to the Obama presidency to fulfill the expectations of not only American citizens but also of the global public and address current issues through the aforementioned practices.
User-generated place brand equity on Twitter: The dynamics of brand associations in social media
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2014-08-16) Sevin, Efe; Andéhn, Mikael; Kazeminia, Azadeh; Lucarelli, Andrea; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Social media provides a unique opportunity for brand analysis. The mere fact that users create content and messages through social media platforms makes the detailed monitoring of temporal variation in brand images possible. This research analyzes data collected from a specific social media platform, Twitter, about the city of Stockholm over a 3-month period to analyze how social media could be conceptualized as a new venue for place brand meaning formation, and to see how user-generated content pertains to the issue of place brand equity. Using semantic and content analyses, assemblages of place brand-related themes are explored. Subsequently, these assemblages of themes are deconstructed at a conceptual level and then subjected to frequency analysis, revealing an underlying typology based on characteristics of the temporal variation of the various types of brand elements. These results are explored on the basis of both how they apply to the understanding of content on social media in general and how they apply to the online presence, or digital footprint, of place brands.
Thinking about place branding: Ethics of concept
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2011-08-16) Sevin, Efe; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
This article introduces a critical theory-induced approach to the concept of place branding to expose the ethical drawbacks within the field. The author argues that the dominant approaches and definitions of place branding limit the thinking of scholars to market-driven subjects, such as measurement, effectiveness and strategies. It is difficult even to discuss ethical issues at a conceptual level within these approaches. With an attempt to further investigate these widely ignored issues, place branding is redefined through a communicative action framework, and a two-step model of place branding is devised – composed of domestic communicative action (Step 1) and international communicative action (Step 2). Step 1 highlights (i) legitimacy and (ii) inclusion as ethical concerns, whereas Step 2 brings in the question of (iii) consistency between the messages in the domestic and international arena. Critical theory makes it possible to take an analytical look at the mainstream approaches and present ethical issues at the conceptual level. Future studies should aim to integrate this theoretical approach to the practice of place branding.
Places going viral: Twitter usage patterns in destination marketing and place branding
(Emerald, 2013-10-07) Sevin, Efe; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how Twitter is utilized by five prominent American destination marketing projects (Illinois, San Francisco, Idaho, Texas, and Milwaukee) to understand the overall trends and usage patterns of microblogging, and the relation of social media ecology and place branding. Design/methodology/approach – This is a comparative study of five Twitter accounts belonging to five destination marketing offices (@enjoyillinois, @onlyinsf, @visitidaho, @texastourism, and @visitmilwaukee). This research looks at two different types of communication activities on Twitter: one-way communication (i.e. broadcasting messages), and two-way communication (i.e. conversing with other users). A total of 5,582 tweets created between October 10, 2011 and October 10, 2012 were analyzed in terms of main topics and subjects covered, and main communication activities engaged. Findings – The research found that destination marketing projects tend to use Twitter pre-dominantly to share about events – such as festivals, concerts, and fairs – taking place in their jurisdiction with their followers. These projects do not necessarily make use of interpersonal communication and networking capabilities of Twitter. Rather, this social media platform is used to distribute information online. Originality/value – The findings of this research have practical and theoretical implications. On the practical side, this research sheds light on how Twitter is utilized, and creates recommendations on how destination marketing projects can widen the broadcasting of messages and reach target audiences. On the theoretical side, this research tests the explanatory powers of Kavaratzis’ influential city branding framework.
Turkayfe.org: share your Türksperience
(Emerald, 2011-03-15) Sevin, Efe; Şalcıgil White, Gizem; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the conceptualization of nation/place branding campaigns based on storytelling and the role of Web 2.0 as facilitator in these endeavors. Design/methodology/approach – The authors share their experiences with Turkayfe.org – a social networking web site that aims to promote Turkey – and re-evaluate the project through a political communication understanding and theoretical framework. The in-depth single case analysis enables the authors to demonstrate how presented theories are put into action. The case is selected due to special peculiarities of Turkey and the availability of data, information, and resources about the project. Turkayfe.org was started by four entrepreneurs as a reaction to the country’s negative portrayal in American mass media. In this project, branding is defined from a communication point of view. The authors’ personal experiences make it possible to trace the conceptualization of brand image and execution phases of the project. Findings – The authors argue that Web 2.0 technologies empower citizens’ participation in public diplomacy and that storytelling is a crucial communication technique. Practical implications – The conclusions drawn from this case study can be used to underline the importance of communication strategies and theories in nation/place branding literature. The project account can be used as a benchmarking case for future nation branding projects. Originality/value – This link between theory and practice attempts to contribute to the development of nation/place branding literature.
Understanding cities through city brands: City branding as a social and semantic network
(Elsevier, 2014-06) Sevin, Efe; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
More and more towns, cities, regions, and countries are investing in branding campaigns in order to establish a reputation for themselves, and to have a competitive edge in today’s global market. In their essence, branding campaigns are places’ attempts to define themselves to target audiences. However, the literature and practice of place branding have focused on the competition of brands at the expense of exploring the relations between people, symbols, meanings, and physical characteristics of cities. Therefore, current branding measurement scales and indices used to understand the defining characteristics of places are problematic. This article first analyzes three of the prominent place branding indices: Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index, FutureBrand Country Brand Index, and East–West Nation Brand Perception Index. Subsequently, it proposes an analytical framework combining two network analysis methods – social and semantic – to evaluate place brands, called “Define–Measure–Visualize” (DMV). In order to argue for the feasibility of the proposed method, a sample dataset is created based on tweets about Boston and New York City. By introducing a consumer-centric and communications-based approach and exploring the connection between cities, people, and messages, the findings of this research can be used in understanding cities/places, measuring the success of branding campaigns, and managing future campaigns.
Grassroots 2.0: Public diplomacy in the digital age
(Politécnico de Lisboa, 2011-10) Sevin, Efe; Payne, Gregory; Bruya, Sara; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Rapid advancements in communication and transportation technologies in recent history have created new and emerging tools that make it possible for every individual to share information with a global audience. Social networking technologies, especially, have revolutionized the possibilities of person-to-person communication, particularly by making obsolete the geographical boundaries that once divided cultures and nationalities. Diplomacy, an international relations activity traditionally claimed as the domain of the nation-state, has become more accessible to ‘ordinary’ citizens and advocacy groups and is taking new forms as individuals and groups initiate grassroots public diplomacy activities. This paper presents the case studies of two such initiatives—Turkayfe.org and the Rediscover Rosarito Project—that have successfully implemented new communications technologies and Web 2.0 strategies in their international outreach campaigns.
Pathways of connection: An analytical approach to the impacts of public diplomacy
(Elsevier, 2015-09-28) Sevin, Efe; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Public diplomacy, albeit its functional similarities with public relations and other corporate communication tools, is inherently a foreign policy tool, used by practitioner states to advance their national interests and achieve their foreign policy goals. The purpose of this theoretical article is to provide a framework to analyze the impacts of public diplomacy projects by acknowledging both its communication aspect and political nature. The pathways of connection framework is built in two-steps. First, the public diplomacy concept is situated in international politics by evaluating the concept through mainstream inter- national relations theories. This evaluation yields three areas on which public diplomacy projects might have an impact. Second, the existing academic and practical measurement models are categorized under these areas and two pathways per area are presented. The theoretical framework can be used to understand different outcomes of public diplomacy projects and to provide a more accurate measurement of their success.
Key Influencers in public diplomacy 2.0: A Country-based social network analysis
(SAGE, 2021-01-20) Sevin, Efe; Ingenhoff, Diana; Calamai, Giada; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
This article presents a study of Twitter-based communication in order to identify key influencers and to assess the role of their communication in shaping country images. The analysis is based on a 2-month dataset comprised of all tweets including hashtags of the three countries selected for this study: Austria, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Following a two-step flow model of communication, we initially identified the influential Twitter users in all three countries based on their centrality measures. Subsequently, we carried out a qualitative content analysis of tweets posted by these influential users. Finally, we assessed the similarities and differences across the three country cases. This article offers new insights into public diplomacy 2.0 activities by discussing influence within the context of country images and demonstrating how opinion leaders can play a more dominant role than states or other political actors in creating and disseminating content related to country image. The findings also provide practical insights in the production of a country’s image and its representation on new media platforms.
A new China: Media portrayal of Chinese mega-cities
(Palgrave Macmillan, 2015-07-22) Sevin, Efe; Björner, Emma; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
During the last two decades, China has started to leave its closed-door policies in the international arena behind, and has shown signs of participating in the global economy. Politically and economically, China has been developing further relations with the rest of the world. The country points to its mega-cities in its official 5-year plans to facilitate and execute the outreach attempts. In this article, we analyze the media representations of two of these mega-cities – Beijing and Shenzhen – with the objective of understanding how their brand images are portrayed and whether these portrayals are in line with the Chinese objectives. We focus on the media representations by arguing that international print media is a crucial platform that has the potential to influence the brand reception of audiences. Consequently, we analyze the volume and subject of Beijing and Shenzhen in English language Chinese and international print media outlets. We evaluate the coverage through a place branding framework. The findings of this research suggest the low-level and narrow coverage of the print media hinders the potential of these cities to become world-renowned centers and help facilitate Chinese interaction with the rest of the world.
Public diplomacy on social media: Analyzing networks and content
(University of Southern California, 2018) Sevin, Efe; Ingenhoff, Diana; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Measurement has been and still is a challenging issue in the practice and study of public diplomacy. In this article, we propose a model to assess the impacts of public diplomacy projects by creating a link between social media communication campaigns and the perception of nations by audiences—or nation brands. We demonstrate how the model can be used to analyze the digital communication projects of four countries: Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Using data sets composed of tweets sent by and about four countries, we focus on the messages crafted by both official public diplomacy projects and nonstate users, and on the relations established as a result.
The Scholarship of public diplomacy: Analysis of a growing field
(University of Southern California, 2019) Sevin, Efe; Metzgar, Emily T.; Hayden, Craig; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Public diplomacy is a fast-growing area of study with little agreement on its boundaries. In support of the subject’s development as a field of academic inquiry, we present a content analysis of English-language peer-reviewed articles on public diplomacy since 1965 (N = 2,124). We begin with analysis of bibliographic data to establish the field’s institutional boundaries by highlighting trends in scholarship over time and identifying prominent disciplines and journals. We then sketch the field’s conceptual boundaries by analyzing the concepts and topics that appear most in the literature. This process allows us to characterize decades of scholarship on public diplomacy and offer recommendations for future work.
Do Foreigners Count? Internationalization of Presidential Campaigns
(SAGE, 2017-03-24) Sevin, Efe; Uzunoğlu, Sarphan; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
The U.S. presidential elections always attract the attention of foreign audiences—who, despite not being able to vote, choose to follow the campaigns closely. For a post that is colloquially dubbed as the “Leader of the Free World,” it is not unexpected to see such an interest coming from nonvoters. Mimicking almost hosting a megaevent, the elections increase the media coverage on the United States, thus making the elections a platform to communicate with the rest of the world and to influence the reputation of the country, or its nation brand. This study postulates that the increasing adoption of social media by campaigns as well as ordinary users, increase the symbolic importance of presidential elections for foreign audiences in two ways. First, foreign audiences no longer passively follow the campaign but rather present their input to sway the American public opinion through social media campaigns. Second, foreign audiences are exposed to a variety of messages ranging from official campaigns to late-night comedy shows to local grassroots movements. The audiences both enjoy a more in-depth understanding of the elections campaigns and are exposed to alternative political views. In this study, the 2016 U.S. presidential elections are positioned as a megaevent that can influence the American nation brand. Through a comparative content and network analyses of messages disseminated over social media in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Canada, and Venezuela, the nation branding– related impacts of election campaigns are investigated.
A quest for soft power: Turkey and the Syrian refugee crisis
(Emerald, 2017-11-06) Sevin, Efe; Cevik, Senem; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring a communication management perspective to how nations might use their involvement in humanitarian responses to refugee crisis in attempts to improve their global standing through a case study of Turkish efforts during the Syrian Civil War. Design/methodology/approach – In order to assess the context of Turkey’s attempts to communicate its humanitarian response to the Syrian refugee crisis and its political discourse, the authors use a two-level analysis. The authors utilize a framing analysis and the informational framework of public diplomacy. The authors conduct a framing analysis of 14 speeches delivered by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavusoglu at various international platforms in order to determine the frames and the information frame strategies employed. The authors investigate how Turkey managed its communication efforts and the ways in which the frames are used to reflect Turkey’s nation brand. Findings – The analysis indicates that Turkey uses three frames: benevolent country, righteous side, and global power. These frames indicate that Turkey sees the refugee crisis as a problem resulting from the inefficiency of the international community and presents the “Turkish model” as the benevolent and righteous example to overcome these inefficiencies. Based on the information framework strategies used, it can be argued that the positive impact of these frames on the Turkish brand will be limited to certain audiences mainly due to the communication priorities of the country. Originality/value – This study provides a novel communication management outlook on humanitarian aid and public diplomacy through an analysis of Turkey as an illustrative case exemplifying communication of development. This study also demonstrates a framework to assess the communication management strategies of other nations that are encountering global refugee crisis and similar humanitarian relief efforts.
A Multilayered Approach to Public Diplomacy Evaluation: Pathways of Connection
(Wiley, 2017-10-26) Sevin, Efe; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
This article presents a multilayered framework, called pathways of connection, as an approach to public diplomacy evaluation. It is well established both in the study and practice of public diplomacy that evaluation is a daunting task, mostly due to the complex and convoluted nature of the concept. To overcome such obstacles, the proposed framework first defines public diplomacy as a foreign policy tool. This definition is then used to state that the only success criterion for a public diplomacy project is its contribution to advancing national interests, regardless of the type of the project or the practitioner country. Second, three layers on which the outcomes of public diplomacy projects can be observed are described by incorporating mainstream international relations theories in the practice of public diplomacy. Third, pathways of connection are introduced to explain how the changes in target audiences contribute to the advancement of national interests.
Capturing country images: a methodological approach
(Taylor & Francis, 2021-03-26) Sevin, Efe; Ayhan, Kadir Jun; Ingenhoff, Diana; Towson University. Department of Mass Communication
Country images have been notoriously difficult to capture and measure effectively. In this article, we propose a methodological approach that combines designed and found data to capture public attitudes. We demonstrate how a mixed-method design with survey data and digital data – namely tweets and Google Trends – make it possible to better capture what target audiences think about a country. We make the case for such a combination by highlighting three aspects of country images. First, to understand what different types of public think about a country, we need to listen to different voices, and complement standardised public opinion survey data with open questions and digital data. Second, social media platforms are invaluable data resources as well as outlets that people on social media turn to for news and information. Last, digital data is unique and powerful, but difficult to analyse and interpret to create value for developing strategic communication policies. Public opinion survey data can help structure digital data and link both outcomes with each other. We support our methodological arguments through an illustrative study of the South Korean country image. We conclude our article by presenting a roadmap for multi-method analysis.

Browse

Recent Submissions