Thematic analysis of post-disaster urban recovery processes through social media discourse: The case of Antakya's Revitalization

Post-disaster urban recovery processes generate intense public debate in digital environments, yet systematic analysis of how governance legitimacy is discursively constructed and contested on social media remains limited. This research was conducted within the scope of the Antakya Revitalization Project following the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes of 6 February 2023. It aims to thematically examine the digitally articulated discourse patterns produced in user-generated content on YouTube, Twitter/X, and Instagram in relation to post-disaster urban design and recovery governance. The research covers the period from April 2023 to June 2025, allowing observation of discursive evolution from the early intervention stage through the implementation phase. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis framework grounded in the digital public sphere tradition. Qualitative coding was supplemented by descriptive frequency and chi-square analyses to enhance the validity and reliability of the findings. The analysis reveals that participation, inclusivity, and transparency constitute the dominant thematic clusters in online discourse, with recurring narrative demands for active involvement in decision-making and recognition of local needs. A platform-comparative reading further indicates that discursive registers differ across platforms: YouTube comment threads exhibit more sustained evaluative narratives oriented toward governance and implementation; Instagram discourse is more densely anchored in cultural identity and aesthetic evaluations; and Twitter/X yields more condensed, agenda-setting articulations. The research is limited by its focus on an ongoing recovery process and by the structural unevenness of digital voice. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that bottom-up narratives are discursively forceful within the online debate surrounding Antakya's reconstruction. The research demonstrates the analytical value of thematic social media discourse analysis as an early legitimacy-monitoring and feedback mechanism within post-disaster socio-economic planning systems.