President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who carved out a name for himself in the international community with diplomatic efforts and a beloved public image at home, raises his clout on Twitter as well. Twiplomacy's 2022 ranking by a global public relations agency placed him on the third spot among the world’s top 50 most influential leaders on Twitter.
Erdoğan trails right behind U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who tops the list. Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro rounded out the top five.
The Turkish president rose two spots in the list this year and also ranked first in the European ranking of the list.
Twiplomacy, prepared by public relations and communication company Burson Marsteller, analyzes the social media activities of world leaders, from tweets and retweets to likes and number of followers.
The president is highly critical of social media websites over unfiltered content that spreads defamation campaigns and fake news.
Addressing a recent summit in Istanbul, Erdoğan said great transformations are taking place through digitalization when it comes to communication tools and news sources, adding that information pollution and the spread of disinformation are two of the most marked challenges of the current period. The president stressed that digital channels are being used more frequently as a psychological tool in inter-state tensions and competitions. "The hypocrisy during our just struggle against bloody terrorist organizations, especially Daesh, FETÖ (the Gülenist Terror Group) and the PKK, has repeatedly revealed this striking truth," he said, referring to the terrorist groups threatening Türkiye.
"Last, the language of some international press and media organizations that we witnessed after the terrorist act on Istiklal Street almost played into the hands of the perpetrators," he added, referring to the PKK attack that claimed six lives in Istanbul. Erdoğan said a new understanding of truth-oriented communication is needed.
Erdoğan is mostly active on Twitter, where he or the Presidency’s staff share news about events hosted by the Presidency or attended by the president. He also occasionally issues messages exclusively on Twitter, like a message in Greek he tweeted in June to warn neighboring Greece amid tensions over territorial waters, a source of contention between the two countries. He joined Twitter in August 2009 and since then, has accumulated at least 19.5 million followers.