An Observation on Othering of 65+ Group During The First Phase of Covid-19 Pandemic

Year 2021, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 48 - 67, 30.12.2021

Zeynep Genel , Batuhan Özuğurlu

https://doi.org/10.33464/mediaj.990608

Abstract

The increasing media consumption by the development of digital media platforms brought many disadvantages besides its incompatible advantages. Raising discussion was if the social media context consumption affects the societies’ reality perception and feedback attitudes. By the explosion Covid- 19 pandemic, these disadvantages came to the exposed surface of the public sphere with tearing the substantial hatred discourse at various topics. Although the effect of media on hatred discourse is not a new issue of the studies, lack of social media literacy of news writers and social media users caused to increase misinformation, social reactions and othering of some parts of society. One of these group was 65 + years during the first phase of Covid-19 pandemic. There were many different claims and misinformation spread about 65+ years group during the first phase of Covid-19 break. Within scope, the paper aims to analyse socially othering of 65 + years group during the pandemic by the effect of news corporations frame and social media user’s posts. In this aim, Twitter posts shared by main media accounts and Twitter comments shared by users about 65 + years group are collected to monitor and examine for exploring understanding the effect of news framing and the types of visual and textual language that caused othering of 65 + years group from the society. The scope guided us to observe shared hatred discourse that may indirectly influence exclusion of 65+ years from society. The study aims to contribute to the pandemic crisis period with a case study from a different perspective in Turkey.

Keywords

Social media, othering, covid-19, Twitter, agesim

Covid-19'un İlk Döneminde 65+ Yaş Grubunun Ötekileştirilmesi Üzerine Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Dijital medya platformlarının gelişmesiyle artan medya tüketimi,tartışmasız avantajlarının yanısıra birçok dezavantaja da yol açmıştır. Artan sosyal medya tüketiminin, toplumların gerçeklik algısı ve geribildirimlerini ne şekilde etkilediği şiddetlenen tartışma konularından biridir. Covid-19 salgını bu dezavantajların şiddetlenerek kamusal alanın yüzeyine çıkmasına ve çeşitli konularda ötekileştirme, dışlama ve nefret söyleminin yayılmasına yol açmıştır. Medyanın nefret söylemine yol açmadaki etkisi yeni bir tartışma olmasa da, haber hazırlayanların sosyal medya okuryazarlığındaki yetersizlikler ve sosyal media kullanıcıları mezenformasyonun, sosyal tepkilerin ve toplumun bazı kesimlerini ötekileştiren dil kullanımının artışına yol açmıştır. Covid-19 salgılını döneminde bu duruma maruz kalan gruplardan biri ise 65 yaş ve üzeri kişilerdir. Covid-19 felaketi ile birlikte 65 yaşa ve üzeri gruplara yönelik bir çok iddia ve kötü bilgi yayılmıştır. Bu doğrultuda bu çalışmanın amacı, haber kuruluşların haber çerçeveleri ve sosyal medya kullanıcılarının paylaşımlarının etkisiyle 65 yaş ve üzeri grupların ötekileştirilmesini analiz etmektir. Bu amaçla, 65 yaş ve üzeri kişilere yönelik Twitter üzerinden paylaşılan yorum ve içerikler toplanarak, görsel ve yazılı dil üzerinden ne tip haberlerin çerçevelendiği ve sosyal medya kullanıcılarının paylaşımlarında bu dilin nasıl etkili olduğunun anlaşılması hedeflenmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında, 65 yaş ve üzeri kişilerin dışlanmasına yol açan içeriklerin paylaşıldığı ve bu içeriklerde medyanın etkisi olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Çalışma, Covid-19 dönemine gerek iletişim gerekse yaşcılık çalışmaları açısından bir nitel gözlem sunarak katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Keywords

sosyal medya, ötekileştirme, covid-19, twitter, yaşçılık

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