Exploring Reflections of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake on X: A Computational Study on Türkiye and Syria

Earthquakes are multidimensional phenomena that disrupt socio-structural systems and erode collective resilience frameworks. Social media acts as a vital platform for information dissemination and communication within such contexts. The Kahramanmaraş earthquakes of February 6, 2023, induced significant physical and demographic consequences across Türkiye and Syria. A review of existing literature indicates a disproportionate emphasis on Türkiye within communication studies, with minimal attention to Syria or comparative analyses between the two nations. This study conducts a comparative analysis of social media discourse on the February 6, 2023, earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria. Employing computational techniques, including sentiment analysis, textual analysis, and network analysis, over 256,227 tweets were examined to identify dominant themes, linguistic patterns, and sentiment polarity shifts. The analysis reveals distinct differences in social media reflections of Türkiye and Syria. Discourse on Türkiye primarily addressed rescue operations and infrastructural damage, while content on Syria centered on humanitarian crises and political constraints affecting disaster response. Posts related to Syria exhibited a higher proportion of negative sentiment. This research contributed an empirical framework for examining the dynamics of public discourse during earthquake crises and clarifies the interrelationship between social media narratives and socio-political structures in contexts characterized by fragile state.