The Effect of the Internet on Political Knowledge: Results from the 2015 Turkish Election Survey

The Internet has a clear potential to inform voters. Nonetheless, the actual impact of the Internet on political knowledge is still contested. Several studies find that easing access to political information online leads to higher levels of political knowledge among voters that use the Internet. Meanwhile, some scholars posit that the fragmented nature and quality of online political information as well as the selective exposure to online news are major obstacles to the potential impact of Internet use. Others point out to the informatory nature of the social media, while some scholars emphasize that the social media facilitates the dissemination of false information. I test the effect of internet usage and social media exposure on the level of political knowledge of voters in Turkey using data from the 2015 Turkish Election Survey. My results demonstrate that both internet usage and social media exposure are positively associated with political knowledge. However, I also find that following news on social media leads to higher levels of incorrect knowledge. By assessing the effect of Internet access and social media exposure on political knowledge among the survey respondents in Turkey, this study both contributes to the debate on the impact of Internet usage on political knowledge and unveils some initial findings on the ways that voters use digital technologies in a developing country.