Paws and Posts: Reading Turkish Culture through Storytelling about Istanbul Cats on Instagram**

Abstract

This study delves into the surge of Turkish cat popularity on social media, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic. Its primary focus is to investigate the conjecture that Turkish cats have evolved into a tourist magnet, igniting an organic phenomenon of cat tourism in Türkiye. The study aims to investigate international visitors’ impressions and opinions about Türkiye by analyzing user-generated content on Instagram**, which focuses on Istanbul cats within the context of communication. It also aims to assess how the relationship between Turkish people and stray cats in Türkiye has developed into the iconic image of Turkish cats in the eyes of travelers and their impact on the country’s tourism as a unique attraction for tourists from abroad. Additionally, the study seeks to gauge the impression of Turkish cats as a compelling element for tourists through the lens of international travelers. Utilizing content analysis, 1,393 Instagram** posts tagged “Istanbul cats” were selected for scrutiny, with an analysis of 145,000 comments based on predefined themes and codes. The study concluded that international users mainly developed positive feelings and thoughts toward Istanbul cats, the subjects of storytelling in Instagram** posts, while solidifying their position as a valuable component of cultural attraction. A majority of international users expressed a desire to visit Türkiye or even relocate solely because of cats. ** – A social network owned by “Meta”, which is recognized as extremist in Russia

Keywords

• stray cats
• turkish cats
• istanbul cats
• storytelling
• turkish culture
• cat tourism
• communication studies
• cultural attraction
• social media
• instagram**
• cat lovers