Examination of The Change Caused by Social Media in The Perception of Fear During the Period of Epidemics: Covid-19

Yıl 2021, Cilt: 3 Sayı: 1, 140 - 163, 30.06.2021

Birol Gülnar , Nihal Acar

https://doi.org/10.47105/nsb.904351

Cited By: 6

Öz

Social media platforms can be explained as a new, interactive, instant engagement type of interpersonal communication. Social media platforms are online community networks that offer messaging, photo, video, audio, sending/receiving files, and chat or discussion environments for users. It seems that social media platforms, whose use is increasing every day, are not just a channel for entertainment or leisure as of recent times. Social media platforms are currently used in many different areas, including social, cultural, economic and health fields. This diversity in the use of social media networks has also begun to attract attention in the field of health communication, especially in the era of pandemics.
The use of social media as a channel in epidemic communication happened for the first time with the H1N1 virus. In 2013, the H7N9 virus emerged in China, and in this outbreak, social media platforms played an important role in communicating with the masses. In China, official institutions transferred new information from social media networks, and the platforms also contribute to the accurate dissemination of information . Conscious use of social media during epidemic periods also occurred with the EBOLA outbreak. The World Health Organization, in particular, has emphasized that Twitter played a key role in the EBOLA outbreak. The corona virus, which appeared in China in the last month of 2019, has spread all over the world in a very short time and the physiological/psychological effects of the outbreak on humans have been investigated. Covid-19 was declared a global epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 11, 2020. At the beginning of the Corona virus process, social media platforms were often used by both state officials, institutions and citizens.
Covid-19 has begun to affect societies both physically and psychologically. No definitive treatment for the virus has yet been found. Covid-19 is known as a disease that needs to be treated both physically and psychologically. As a starting point of the research, the psychological states of social media users in the Covid-19 process were examined in the perception of fear. Fear, defined as an emotion felt in the face of a real danger that threatens human life, was addressed in a qualitative pattern using a semi-structured data collection technique. In this study, which is a cross-sectional type of research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven people between 11.01.2021-15.01.2021. Participants were given their own time frame and sent an individual interview link. The participants ' credentials were stored throughout and after the research. Participants are named from K1 to - K7. The study group consists of seven people, four women and three men.
In the study, themes were first created from raw data obtained at the end of the interviews. Themes are collected in four groups independent of each other. The first group is designed to reveal the advantages/disadvantages of platforms in epidemic periods; the second group is designed to reveal the impact of platforms on fear perception; the third group is designed to reveal the level at which traditional media and networks trigger fear perception in epidemic periods; and the fourth group is designed to reveal the role of platforms in pandemic periods.
In the research, the fact that the use of platforms is cheap, providing access to information at any time, providing up-to-date flow, continuous communication and ease of tracking by official sources have created an advantage for users. In the study, participants also noted that social media reveals disadvantages in the process, especially giving emphasis to false news. Participants stated that they did not believe the news without confirmation. In the study, it was found that participants were exposed to a feeling of fear as a result of the shares they saw on social media. The fear type of participants was clustered in two groups. The first group is the loss of family and loved ones, and the other is the idea that the country will deteriorate economically with unemployment. The study found that some of the participants were exposed to feelings of fear by other social media users. Three participants also left their followers or limited their platform usage time to prevent this. Not all participants in the study considered terminating their membership from social media platforms. The study found that all but one participant viewed social media as a sharper fear-building tool compared to traditional means of communication. Finally, it is emphasized that social media platforms create a very effective identity and raise users’ awareness.

Anahtar Kelimeler

outbreaks, fear, social media, Covid-19, descriptive analysis

Salgın Hastalıklar Döneminde Sosyal Medyanın Korku Algısında Meydana Getirdiği Değişimin İncelenmesi: Covid-19/ Examination of The Change Caused by Social Media in The Perception of Fear During the Period of Epidemics: Covid-19

Öz

Sosyal medya platformları son yıllarda salgın hastalıklar sürecinde iletişim aracı olarak kullanılmasının yanında kullanıcıların, ruhsal ve fiziksel durumlarını etkileyen bir araç olarak da literatürde yer edinmeye başlamıştır. Geçmiş dönemlerde görülen EBOLA, SARS, MERS ve H1N1 gibi salgınlarda platformlar, kullanıcıları hem bilgilendirmiş hem de onların ruhsal/fiziki durumları üzerinde olumsuz etkiler ortaya çıkartmıştır. Bu araştırma Covid-19 sürecinde sosyal medya kullanımının korku algısına olan etkisini betimlemek üzere yarı yapılandırılmış veri toplama tekniği ile nitel desende ele alınmıştır. Sosyal medya ağları, geleneksel medyaya kıyasla katılımcıların korku algısını daha fazla etkilemiştir. Araştırmada, sosyal medya platformlarında yer alan Covid-19 paylaşımlarının, katılımcıların korku algılarını farklı düzeylerde tetiklediği saptanmıştır. Katılımcıların korkuları en çok; aile/sevdiklerini kaybetme ile kişisel/milli ekonomik kayıplar altında kümelenmiştir. Sosyal medya platformlarının çoğunlukla haber/bilgi fonksiyonunda avantaj; yalan haber/bilgi özelinde dezavantaj sağladığı saptanmıştır. Araştırmada katılımcıların daha çok sosyal medya platformlarının dezavantajlarına maruz kaldıkları ortaya çıkmıştır. Sosyal medya platformların bu olumsuz etkilerine rağmen süreçte kullanıcıları, virüs hakkında bilinçlendirdiği de diğer bulgular arasında yer edinmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

salgınlar, korku, sosyal medya, Covid-19, betimsel analiz

Kaynakça

• Abdolia, A.& Heidarnejadi S. M. (2020). Opportunities and challenges of social media in outbreaks: a concern for Covid-19. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 15, 1-2.
• Ahasan, N. M., Das A., Chowdhury, M. K. & Mınnat, B. (2013). Middle East respiratory syndrome Coronavirus (Mers Cov): an emerging pathogen. Medicine Journal, 14, 156-163.
• Alaeddinoğlu, F. & Rol S. (2020). Covid-19 pandemisi ve turizm üzerindeki etkileri. Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, Salgın Hastalıklar Özel Sayısı, 233-258.
• Al-Sumiri, K., Khalifa M., Bahkali S., Metwally A. & Househ M. (2017). The potential of social media and internet- based data in preventing and fighting infectious diseases: from internet to Twitter advances in microbiology. Infectious Diseases and Public Health. Switzerland.
• Altunay, E., Oral G. & Yalçınkaya M. (2014). Eğitim kurumlarında mobbing uygulamalarına ilişkin nitel bir araştırma. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 4(1), 62-80.
• Arat, T. & Dursun G. (2016). Seyahat ve konaklama tercihi açısından sosyal paylaşım sitelerinin kullanımı. Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Meslek Yüksekokulu Dergisi, 19(41) Özel Sayısı, 111-128.
• Aydın, A. F. (2020). Post-truth dönemde sosyal medyada dezenformasyon: Covid-19 (Yeni Koronavirüs) pandemi süreci. Asya Akademik Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 4(12), 76-90.
• Bahçeci, F. & Yıldız, E. (2016). Yetişkin eğitimindeki bireylerin öğrenme yönetim sistemleri hakkındaki görüşleri. AUAD, 2(1), 94-113
• Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2012). “Örnekleme Yöntemleri” http://cv.ankara.edu.tr/duzenleme/kisisel/dosyalar/21082015162828.pdf.
• Candan, F. (2019). 2010 Sonrası Amerikan korku sinemasında psikinalatik öğeler: Tekinsiz ve İğrenç (Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi). Ordu Üniversitesi, Ordu.
• Choi, D., H., Yoo W., Noh G., Y. & Park K. (2017). The impact of social media on risk perceptions during The Mers Outbreak in South Korea. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 422-431.
• Chao, M., Xue D., Liu T., Yang H. & Hall B., J. (2020). Media use and acute psychological outcomes during Covid-19 outbreak in China. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 74, 2-8. Creswell, J. W. (2018). Nitel araştırma yöntemleri. çev. Dr. Selçuk Beşir Demir ve Mesut Bütün. Siyasal Kitapevi.
• Çalapkulu, Ç. & Şimşek R. (2018). Sosyal medyanın reklam aracı olarak kullanılmasında Youtube: Sakarya Üniversitesi iletişim fakültesinde bir araştırma. Uluslararası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 1(2), 269-278.
• Denecke, K. & Atique S. (2016). Social media and health crisis communication during epidemics. Abdul-Syed Shabbir, Elia Gabarron, Annie Y.S. Lau. (Ed). Participatory Health Through Social Media in, Academic Press.
• Depoux, A., Martin S., Karafillakis E., Preet R., Smith A. W.& Larson H. (2020). The pandemic of social media panic travels faster than The Covid-19 Outbreak. Journal of Travel Medicine. 27(3), 1–2.
• Ding, H. & Zhang J. (2020). Social media & participatory risk communication During H1N1. China Media Research, 6(4) 80-92.
• Dut, S. (2019). İslamiyet’teki Kötülük Anlayışı Bağlamında 2000 Sonrası Türk Korku Sinemasının Örnek Filmler Üzerinden İncelenmesi (Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi). Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi, İzmir.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (2020). Cluster Of Pneumonia Cases Caused By A New Coronavirus, Wuhan, China. Rapid Risk Assessment Report. stockholm. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu
• Emiral, E., Çevik, A., Z. & Gülümser, Ş. (2020). Covid-19 pandemisi ve intihar. ESTÜDAM Halk Sağlığı Dergisi, 5(Covid-19 Özel Sayısı), 138-147.
• Ergin, D., Y. (1994). Örnekleme türleri. Atatürk Eğitim Fakültesi Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi, 6, 91-106.
• Feng, L., S., Dong Z., J., Yan, R., U., Wu, X., O., Zhang L., M. & Jun, Z., Y. (2020). Psychological distress in the shadow of The Covid-19 Pandemic: preliminary development of an assessment scale. Psychiatry Research, 291, 113-202.
• Fu, K., Cheng Q, Wong P., & Yip P. (2013). Responses to a self-presented suicide attempt in social media. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention. 34(6), 406–412.
• Freberg, K., Palenchar M. & Veil S., R. (2013). Managing and sharing H1N1 crisis information using social media. Bookmarking Services Public Relations Review, 39, 178–184.
• Fung, I., C., H., Tse Z., Tsz H., Cheung C., N., Miu A. & Fu K., W. (2014). Ebola and the social media. The Lancet, 20(384), 2207-2208.
• Fung, I., C., H., Fu K., W., Ying Y., Schaible B., Hao Y., Chan C., H., C. & Tse Z., T., H. (2013). Chinese social media reaction to The Mers-Cov and Avian İnfluenza A(H7N9) Outbreaks. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 2, 31.
• Gao, J., Zheng P., Jia Y., Chen H., Mao Y., Chen S., Wang Y., Fu H. & Dai J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during Covid-19 Outbreak. Plos One, 15(4), 1-10.
• Gülnar, B. (2016). Türkish University students loneliness degree and ınternet using 2nd International Conference on The Changing World and Social Research Presented Papers, Barcelona: Spain, (pp. 136-143).
• Gür, H. (2020). Sars-Cov-2 ve neden olduğu Covid-19 bulaşıcı hastalığının biyocoğrafyası: Çin bir tesadüf mü?. Bilim ve Ütopya, 131, 61-64.
• Hetkamp, M., Schweda A., Bäuerle A., Weismüller B., Kohler H., Musche V., Dörrie N., Schöbel C., Teufel M. & Skoda E., M. (2020). Sleep disturbances, fear, and generalized anxiety during The Covid-19 shut down phase in Germany: relation to infection rates, deaths, and German stock index dax. Sleep Medicine. 75, 350-353.
• Işıklı, S. (2020). Covid-19 salgınının psikolojik sonuçları ve etkili başa çıkma yöntemleri. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Psikoloji Bölümü. orona.hacettepe.edu.tr/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/covid 19_psikolojik_sonuclari_basa_cikma_yontemleri.pdf
• İnce, F. & Evcil, F., Y. (2020). Covid-19’un Türkiye’deki ilk üç haftası. SDÜ Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, 11(2), 236-241.
• Kemp, S. (2020). Dijital in 2020. We Are Social. https://wearesocial.com/digital-2020
• Kemp, S. (2020). Dijital in 2020 Turkey. We Are Social. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-turkey
• Keyvan, E. & Yurdakul, Ö. (2016). Kuş Gribi ve insan sağlığı üzerine etkileri. Lalahan Hayvancılık Araştırmaları Enstitüsü Dergisi, 56(2), 70-77.
• Kirman, F. (2020). Sosyal medyada salgın psikolojisi: algı, etki ve başa çıkma. Dünya İnsan Bilimleri Dergisi, 2, 11-44. Kutlu, R. (2020). Yeni Koronavirüs pandemisi ile ilgili öğrendiklerimiz, tanı ve tedavisindeki güncel yaklaşımlar ve Türkiye’deki durum. TJFMPC, 14(2), 329-344.
• Lin C., Y. , Broström A., Griffiths M. D. & Pakpour A. H. (2020). Investigating mediated effects of fear of Covid-19 and Covid-19 misunderstanding in the association between problematic social media use, psychological distress, and insomnia. Internet Interventions, 21, 1-6.
• Mannoni, P. (1992). Korku. Işın Gürbüz (çev.). İletişim Yayınları.
• Mertens, G., Gerritsen L., Duijndam S., Salemink E. & Engelhard I. M. (2020). Fear of The Coronavirus (Covid-19): predictors in an online study conducted in March 2020. Journal Of Anxiety Disorders, 74, 1-8.
• Oh, S., H., Lee, S., Y. & Han, C. (2020). The effects of social media use on preventive behaviors during ınfectious disease outbreaks: the mediating role of self-relevant emotions and public risk perception. Health Communication, 16, 1-10.
• Özlü, A. & Öztaş, D. (2020). Yeni Corona Pandemisi (Covid-19) ile mücadelede geçmişten ders çıkartmak. Ankara Medical Journal, 2, 468-481.
• Pavlova, A. & Perkers, P. (2020). Mental Health Discourse and Social Media: Which Mechanisms of Cultural Power Drive Discourse on Twitter. Social Science & Medicine, 263, 2-14.
• Saha, K., Torous J., Caine E. & Choudhury, M., D. (2020). Social media reveals psychosocial effects of The Covid-19 Pandemic. Journal Medical Internet Research, 22(11), 1-32.
• Samancı, M. (2020). Küresel bir salgın: Covid-19. Samsun Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 5(1), 6-11.
• Şahin, M. & Gülnar, B. (2016). İletişim korkusu ve internet kullanımı ilişkisi: Türkiye’deki üniversite öğrencileri arasında bir alan araştırması. Selçuk İletişim Dergisi, 9(2), 5- 26. Yıkılmış, A. & Sazak Pınar, E. (2016). İlköğretim okulu müdürlerinin kaynaştırmaya yönelik görüşlerinin belirlenmesi. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 5(1), 7-22.
• Yılmaz, K. (2011). Social responsibility of education faculties and the lessons of community service practices: a qualitative study. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 4(2), 86-108.
• Türkoğlu, B. (2018). Farklı meslek çalışanı ebeveynlerin okul öncesi öğretmenlerine ilişkin görüşlerine nitel bir bakış. Kuramsal Eğitim Bilim Dergisi, 11(5), 100-124.