A Research on Digital Violence in Social Media

1. Introduction

The internet, which is based on the principle of providing data over a certain network, was created by the United States for military purposes, about 50 years ago, in order to provide faster communication and information, and then, with the participation of civilian information networks and computers in this system, a huge has become a communication network (Lynch, 1993). The development of technology in informatics started with the telegraph, telephone and radio providing simple communication, continued with the invention of television and finally extended to the new generation mobile phones. This rapid change in communication technology will continue as a dynamic structure, as a process that renews itself forever (Heywood, 2011). The fact that people have become dependent on technology in social and economic fields has also created the beginning of a new process called information society. With this process, it is clearly seen that in the world consisting of human, machine and virtual environment, a technological culture has been formed and this culture has a global effect (Wiebe, 1999). In fact, the education of the society aiming at scientific knowledge to have more knowledge about facts and the future, the widening of the social dimension of the expected technological change, and the misuse of the scientific knowledge in question have made this subject a complex structure that is much discussed and little understood (Mokyr, 1990).

Today, digital media has become an important platform for social interaction thanks to technologies such as instant messaging, social networking sites, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, drones, Internet, Facebook, Skype and 5G network (Jevtić, 2020; Hellevik, 2019). In particular, social networking sites, large numbers of user-generated content, and Internet-enabled smartphones produce ever-changing identities, communications, and online encounters (Powell & Henry, 2017). Technologies have transformed self-expression, interactions, and relationships. Temporal and geographical boundaries have been tested and crossed with instant and unlimited contact, communication and monitoring (Harris & Vitis, 2020).

Social media, which is formed within the internet system, consists of web-based platforms that are based on multi-purpose meeting, entertainment, commercial shopping, job applications, information exchange and similar areas, based on people communicating with each other. In addition, the availability of features such as uploading photos and videos increases the interest in social media day by day (Boyd and Ellison, 2008: 211). Preeti (2009) defines social networks as virtual spaces where ideas are shared and facilitate communication for a common purpose. This gigantic structure also has a social impact, which can have serious global impacts. Particularly, discourses on political fields and social media posts on national and international issues can change opinions and thoughts and cause outrage (Thompson, 2008).

In addition to its social effects, social media also has serious effects on individual relationships. The perception of interpersonal communication over a network as unlimited freedom has revealed the concept of digital violence today. It can be said that there is a wide range of digital violence, such as eaves dropping, watching, taking private photos and videos of individuals without permission, attacks on trade secrets and bank accounts, harassment against women and children, insults, attacks by political or group members, and interpersonal intolerance (https://kockam.ku.edu.tr/hukuki-acidan-cinsiyete-dayali-dijital-siddet-damla-songur/). According to Miller (1999), people often make choices that contradict their offline behavior while online.