FROM THE SOCIAL DILEMMA PERSPECTIVE: SOCIAL MEDIA FROM ANOTHER ANGLE

Abstract

Background: People live in social groups. Today, interaction and communication within social
groups are mediated by technology. Today's individuals use social media intensively as a means of
defining their lifestyles. Today, almost half of the world is on social media channels. Social media,
which causes changes in communication and socialization patterns, has recently been discussed
intensively with its positive and negative aspects and brings serious concerns about its negative
aspects. At this point, it is important to evaluate how and in what way social media affects
individuals and society as a whole.
Objective: In the study, it is aimed to reveal the effect of social media, which is a dilemma in use,
on the society, and to present an overview by discussing its benefits and harms.
Method: Data were collected through interview and observation. The interviews were conducted in
the form of face-to-face interviews with a semi-structured form prepared by the researcher. The
participants of the research are 10 adults who are active social media users and participate
voluntarily. Descriptive analysis was used in the analysis of the obtained data.
Results: As a result of the descriptive analysis; the interviewees positioned social media in their
minds within the framework of expression environment, benefit-harm dichotomy, addiction and
sharing; It has been found that they interpret it as a means of communication and accessing
information. Interviewers are useful in terms of accessing information from social media; they think
that it is harmful because of the time spent, negative emotions, deterioration of mental health, loss
of time and value. At the same time, it has been observed that the interviewees have a perception
that there is no reality in social media.
Conclusion: By examining the findings, it was concluded that individuals could be exposed to the
violence of positivity even if they were aware of the negativities, and this could lead them to a
dilemma about leaving social media or using it optimally. It is important to consider the full impact
of social media environments and users' online presentations on individual lives and society. At this
point, it is thought that it is essential to analyze and evaluate the individual and social effects in the
long term in the best way by the relevant authorities and to implement solution proposals.