The X Algorithm’s Challenge in Turkey: Balancing Politics, Engagement and Disinformation

In a rapidly evolving social media landscape, X (formerly Twitter) faces mounting challenges in Türkiye, where political polarization, engagement metrics, and the spread of disinformation have created a perfect storm of complications for the platform.

Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company in 2022, X has undergone significant changes to its content moderation policies and algorithmic systems. These changes have had particularly pronounced effects in Türkiye, where social media platforms play a crucial role in political discourse amid a sometimes restrictive media environment.

Political analysts monitoring Türkiye note that X’s algorithm appears to be struggling to balance engagement with accuracy. The platform’s recommendation system increasingly promotes content that generates high interaction rates, regardless of its veracity or divisiveness. This trend has become especially problematic during politically sensitive periods, including recent elections and policy debates around immigration and economic reforms.

“The algorithm rewards emotional reactions above all else,” explains Dr. Elif Yilmaz, a digital media researcher at Istanbul University. “In Türkiye’s already polarized political environment, this has created feedback loops that push users toward increasingly extreme viewpoints, while moderate voices get lost in the noise.”

Recent data shows that posts containing misleading political claims receive approximately 38% more engagement than factual reporting on the platform. This disparity has encouraged some political actors to deliberately craft inflammatory content designed to trigger the algorithm’s promotion mechanisms.

The platform’s struggles extend beyond political content. Economic news, particularly regarding inflation and the lira’s value, has become a battleground for competing narratives. Government-aligned accounts frequently challenge independent economic assessments, creating an environment where users encounter radically different interpretations of the same economic indicators.

X’s reduced content moderation team – a result of company-wide layoffs – has further complicated matters. Turkish language moderators are in particularly short supply, leaving automated systems to handle complex cultural and linguistic nuances they’re not fully equipped to navigate.

“We’re seeing a clear reduction in the platform’s ability to identify and address coordinated disinformation campaigns in Turkish,” says Mehmet Kaplan, director of Digital Rights Türkiye, a non-governmental organization tracking online freedoms. “What once might have been flagged or labeled is now often allowed to spread unchecked.”

The consequences extend beyond the platform itself. Several mainstream Turkish media outlets now regularly source stories directly from trending X topics, creating a spillover effect where algorithm-boosted content shapes broader news narratives. This phenomenon has intensified during periods of crisis, including the aftermath of the devastating February 2023 earthquakes, when misinformation about relief efforts and casualty figures circulated widely.

For everyday Turkish users, the experience on X has become increasingly fragmented. The algorithmic tendency to recommend content similar to what users have previously engaged with has created distinct information ecosystems that rarely interact with each other.

“I’ve noticed my feed becoming more homogeneous over the past year,” says Ayşe Demir, a 34-year-old technology professional in Ankara. “It’s harder to encounter diverse perspectives than it used to be, which defeats the purpose of being on a social platform in the first place.”

X representatives have acknowledged challenges with their recommendation systems globally but maintain that improvements are ongoing. In a statement earlier this month, the company indicated it was “refining its approach to ensure healthy discourse across all markets,” though no Türkiye-specific initiatives were detailed.

Digital rights advocates are calling for greater transparency regarding how X’s algorithm operates in different linguistic and cultural contexts. They argue that without country-specific adjustments, the platform risks exacerbating existing social tensions.

As X continues to evolve under its new ownership, its ability to balance engagement metrics with responsible content promotion in complex markets like Türkiye will likely determine its long-term influence and credibility. For now, the platform remains both an essential communication tool and a challenging information environment for its millions of Turkish users.