ISTANBUL—Turkey's ruling party, facing the threat of fresh antigovernment demonstrations, is boosting its presence in a sphere long dominated by the opposition: social media.

The Justice and Development Party, led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is recruiting a 6,000-member social-media team to woo citizens and fight critics, party officials said.

The AKP is gradually bringing young, tech-savvy party members to Ankara to train them in classrooms to act as volunteer "social-media representatives."

The youth will be charged with sharing news and images, mainly on Twitter and Facebook, but also on Instagram and YouTube, that promote the party perspective and monitor online discussions, a party official said.

"We aim at developing a positive political language which we are teaching to our volunteers," said a senior party official responsible for organizing the campaign. "And when the opposing camp spreads disinformation about the party, we correct them with valid information, always using positive language."