An Evaluation on the Use of Social Media in Turkey

AbstractDespite the fact that the entrance of the internet into our lives has not created as much change as those proposed by such movies as Matrix, Star Wars and Terminator, it is playing a greater role each day. Even in the digital world in which everything identified as new is fast outdated and consumed, academic, daily and technical knowledge and information as to the internet and hardware still draws our attention. However, this fast changing and evolving phenomenon is easily accepted and consumed without questioning by individuals. In this article, the 20-year-long considerably short but historic development of the internet which started being used in the 1990s in the world and in Turkey as well and the role of the internet in life will be discussed according to the reports issued by the Turkish Statistical Institute and other agencies. The article also aims to demonstrate how the internet which has become an important part of life shapes daily life by using the primary data from the Intel's recent research on the use of the internet by the youth, the Boston Consulting Group's Report on Turkey, Internet Economics and the Turkish Statistical Institution's studies on the internet use in Turkey. The basic assumption of the study is to put forth the place of Internet as an important part of individuals’ lives and driving force for change in society, particularly young people, and the reflection of this rapid development causing a rapid end to new media consumption