The Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Media Usage in the Context of Uses and Gratification Approach

Year 2021, , 329 - 344, 30.06.2021

Yasemin Bilişli , Hatice Tuzcu

https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.861836

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the whole world, threatened individuals physically, mentally and
socially, and considerably transformed their lifestyles in varying ways. Considering the spread of the
disease and affected age groups, the struggle with COVID-19 should not be limited to the medical
aspect but should also be addressed socially. The present study attempted to reveal how the usage
of social media has been modified during the pandemic by drawing attention to the aspects of the
COVID-19 pandemic that affected social life. The general aim of the study is to examine the purposes
and motivations of the individuals’ social media usage during the pandemic with reference to Uses and
Gratification approach. The research was carried out with 12 university graduate female participants
over the age of 50, who were determined by snowball sampling method. The findings obtained in this
study showed that the participants increased their usage of social media during the pandemic compared
to their previous engamenents with social media. Moreover, some of the participants increased their
usage of social media to reach news about COVID-19 faster, which pointed out their motivation to use
social media for obtaining accurate information. Finally, the most important change in the participants’
usage of social media was about their Twitter engagements. The results show that covid-19 has changed
social media usage and also points to the power of social media.

Keywords

Covid-19, Pandemic, Social media, Uses and Gratifications, Health Communication

Kullanımlar ve Doyumlar Yaklaşımı Bağlamında COVID-19 Pandemisinin Sosyal Medya Kullanımına Etkisi

Abstract

Tüm dünyayı etkisi altına alan COVID-19 salgını bireyleri fiziksel, ruhsal ve sosyal yönden tehdit altına
alırken, yaşam tarzlarını da büyük ölçüde etkilemiştir. Hastalığın yayılış şekli, görüldüğü yaş grupları
dikkate alındığında; konunun sadece tıbbi boyutla sınırla kalmayıp, sosyal yönden de ele alınması
gereken bir konu olduğunu gözler önüne sermektedir. Bu noktadan hareketle makalede, COVID-19
salgınının sosyal yaşamı etkileyen yanına dikkat çekilerek bu durumdan sosyal medya kullanımının ne
şekilde etkilendiği ortaya konmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmanın genel amacı, pandemi sırasında bireylerin
sosyal medya kullanım amaçlarını ve motivasyonlarını “kullanımlar ve doyumlar yaklaşımı”ndan
hareketle incelemektir. Araştırma kartopu örnekleme yöntemi ile seçilen, üniversite mezunu 50 yaş
üzeri 12 kadın katılımcı ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada elde edilen bulgular, katılımcıların salgın
sırasında sosyal medyayı salgın öncesi döneme göre daha fazla takip etmeye başladığını göstermiştir.
Katılımcıların bir kısmının COVID-19 ile ilgili haberlere daha hızlı ulaşabilmek için sosyal medya
kullanımını artırdıkları belirlenirken, büyük çoğunluğunun doğru bilgi almak için sosyal medyayı
kullandığı tespit edilmiştir. Katılımcıların, COVID-19 öncesi döneme göre sosyal medya kullanımındaki
en önemli değişikliğin ise Twitter kullanımında olduğu görülmüştür. Sonuçlar, COVID-19 salgınının
sosyal medyayı kullanma tercihlerini değiştirirken, sosyal medyanın etkin gücününe dikkat
çekmektedir.

Keywords

Salgın, Sosyal medya, Kullanımlar ve Doyumlar, Sağlık İletişimi, COVID-19

References

• Akçay, H. (2011). Social media use with the context of uses and gratification: A research on Gümüşhane University. Journal of Communication Theory & Research, 0(33), 137-161.
• Blumler, J. G., & Katz, E. (1974). The uses of mass communications: Current perspectives on gratifications research, Sage annual reviews of communication research (Vol. 3). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
• Bumgarner, B. A. (2007). You have been poked: Exploring the uses and gratifications of Facebook among emerging adults. Retrived from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2026/1897.
• Charney, T., & Greenberg, B. (2001). Uses and gratifications of the Internet. In C. Lin, & D. Atkin (Eds.), Communication, technology and society: New media adoption and uses (pp. 379-407). New York: Hampton Press.
• Chen, G. M. (2011). Tweet this: a uses and gratifications perspective on how active Twitter use gratifies a need to connect with others. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 755-762.
• Collins, K., Onwuegbuzie, A., & Jiao, Q. (2008). Prevalence of mixed-methods sampling designs in social science research. Evaluation & Research in Education, 19(2), 82-101.
• Creswell, J. (2007). Qualitive inquiry & research desing: Choosing among five. London: Sage Publication.
• Çerçi, Ü. Ö., Canöz, N., & Canöz, K. (2020). The use of social media as a means of information in the Covid-19 crisis period. The Journal of Institute of Social Sciences, (44), 184-198.
• Çokluk, Ö. (2014). Step-by-step research guide for research methods beginners. In H. Atak, & G. Şekercioğlu (Trans.), Selection of research pattern (pp. 109-140). Ankara: Edge Academy.
• Davey, L. (1991). The application of case study evaluations. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 2(2), 1-3.
• Fallows, D. (2004). The Internet and daily life: Many Americans use the Internet in everyday activities, but traditional offline habits still dominate. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2004/08/11/the-internet-and-daily-life/.
• Ferguson, T., & Ferse, E. (2000). The world wide web as a functional alternative to. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44(2), 155-174.
• Fidan, Z., & Şentürk, Z. (2016). An evaluation about communication and women at social media. Journal of INIF E, 1(2), 64-82.
• Houser, J. (2016). Nursing research: Reading, using, and creating evidence. Unites States of America: Jones&Barlet Leraning Books.
• Katz, E. (1959). Mass communication research and the study of popular culture: An editorial note on a possible future for this journal. Studies in Public Communication, 21(6), 1-6.
• Katz, E., Blumler, J., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). Uses and gratifications research. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(4), 509-523.
• Kaye, B., & Johnson, T. (2004). A web for all reasons: Uses and gratifications of Internet components for political information. Telematics and Informatics, 21(3), 197-223.
• Klapper, J. (1963). The effects of mass communication. USA: The Free Press.
• Ko, H., Cho, C., & Roberts, M. (2005). Internet uses and gratifications: A structural equation model of interactive advertising. Journal of Advertising, 34(2), 57-70.
• Köseoğlu, Ö. (2012). Motivations of social networking site users: A study on facebook. Journal of Selcuk Communication, 7(2), 58-81.
• Lazersfeld, P. F. (1940). Radio and the printed page. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce.
• Lull, J. (2000). Media, communication, culture: A global approach. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Mcquail, D., & Windahl, S. (1997). Models of mass media (K. Yumlu, Trans). Ankara: Imge Publishing House.
• Merriam, S. (2009). Qualitative research a guide to desing and implementation. San Francisco: Jossey – Bass.
• Papacharissi, Z., & Rubin, A. (2000). Predictors of Internet use. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 44(2), 175-196.
• Parker, B., & Plank, R. (2000). A uses and gratifications perspective on the Internet as a new information source. American Business Review, 18(2), 43-49.
• Pinnegar, S., & Daynes, J. (2007). Locating narrative inquiry historically: Thematics in the turn to narrative. In D. Clandinin (Ed.), Handbook of narrative inquiry: Mapping a methodology (pp. 3-34). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
• Rosengren, K. (1983). Communication research: One paradigm or four?. Journal of Communication, 33(3), 185-207.
• Ruddock, A. (2001). Understanding audiences: Theory and method. London: Sage Publications Inc.
• Ruggiero, T. E. (2000). Uses and gratifications theory in the 21st century. Mass Communication & Society, 3(1), 3-37.
• Toruntay, H. (2011). Team roles study: A comparative research on generations X and Y. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. İstanbul: Istanbul University Institute of Social Sciences.
• Ünlü, F. (2018). Social media dependence and social insulation in above intermediate. Pesa International Journal of Social Studies, 4(1), 161-172.
• Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2005). Qualitative research methods in the social sciences. Ankara: Seçkin Publications.
• Yıldız, F. (2014). Epidemic diseases (plague, cholera, smallpox, malaria) and methods of combating epidemic diseases in anatolia in the 19th century. Unpublished Master Thesis. Denizli: Pamukkale University Institute of Social Sciences .
• Yiğit, İ., & Gümüşçü, O. (2016). The effects of epidemic diseases on housing in manisa and its surrounding (XVI-XX. centuries). International Geography Symposium Book of Proceedings. Ankara: TÜCAUM.
• Yin, R. (1984). Case study research: design and methods. California: Sage Publication.
• Yolun, M. (2012). The effects of Spanish flu on the world and the ottoman empire. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. Adıyaman: Adıyaman University Institute of Social Sciences.
• Zhu, N., Zhang, D., Wang, W., Li, X., Yang, B., & Song, J. (2020). A novel Coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(8), 727-723.