Abstract
The Positioning of the Other (Syrian Refugee Asylum) on the Internet and Social Media News: the Example of Konya
The war that emerged in Syria in 2011 has not fully ended. The chaotic environment in the country has caused many Syrians to emigrate. Sharing a long border with Turkey has brought many immigrants to our country under asylum. The number of refugees who settled in Turkey is expressed in millions. The intense clustering of Syrian refugees near the border or in other cities has created sociological problems. The recent rise in social discomfort has increased the criticism and negative depiction of Syrian refugees on social media. Although some share positive emotions about asylum-seekers, the rate of negative shares has reached serious levels in the internet environment. This study, which examines social media and internet sharing about Syrian refugees, was conducted on people using internet and social media in the city center of Konya. The study applied a field research method, and the data were obtained through a survey technique based on face-to-face and telephone interviews with 247 people. The results show that participants stated that they came across negative content and news about Syrian refugees on the internet and social media at high levels. A large part of the participants stated that they did not “share” this negative content for Syrian refugees themselves, and they did not find the negative sharing about Syrian refugees to be correct.
Keywords
Social Media, Internet, Syrian Refugees
