The effect of social media as an organizational communication platform on corporate reputation: Case of public sector

Social media, which have emerged as a result of the widespread utilization of internet and computers as well as the developments in communication technologies; have became a platform that enhances communication between individuals by gathering them together. Besides daily communication activities, various platforms have emerged through social media that positive or negative comments about a product, service or experience can spread quickly. Along with the active use of these platforms, organizations have also increasingly started to take part in social media to transmit messages they produce to individuals they offer products and services. Social media enables organizations to establish a more interactive communication with their shareholders and improve the corporate reputation that's comprised of the shareholders' perceptions. The aim of this descriptive research's to investigate the relationship between social media as an organizational communication platform and corporate reputation. Even though the importance of communication on organizational basis has been emphasized in literature, there aren't so many studies upon social media's relationship as an external organizational communication tool with corporate reputation in public sector. In this direction, the relationship between social media and corporate reputation's investigated depending on the perception of social media users living in Izmir. Within this frame; in the first chapter, organizational communication; in the second chapter, social media and in the third chapter, corporate reputation concepts are explained in detail. The real name of the organization chosen for the research is included in the questionnaire study whereas necessary permissions to use this name in the publication of the thesis couldn't be obtained. Therefore in the research, name of the relevant organization is kept hidden and mentioned as "Organization X". In the final chapter, findings and a review of the questionnaire study is included in order to define the relationship between the social media activities of Organization X and the perception of reputation of the organization itself. In consideration of the findings obtained, it is found that there is a significant and moderate relationship between activities of social media and perception of corporate reputation.