Vocational School of Justice
CELEBRATING HOLIDAYS ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Bairam celebrations are becoming virtual with the increase of internet use. Asst. Prof. Dr. Altuğ Akın, Lecturer, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), Faculty of Communication, Department of Media and Communication, reported that people had limited free time, and bairam was seen as a great opportunity for a getaway, and therefore bairam celebrations on social media increased greatly.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Akın pointed that media technologies took an important part of our daily lives. He said, “People use communication technologies frequently. In 1850’s people were sending postcards to each other on special days because they could not get together due to reasons such as transportation difficulties, war, etc. With the invention of telephone, they started to call each other more frequently. And in our day, social media has become wide popular with the internet”.
‘Cost-free technological love’
Celebrating in the same time zone at different locations became very common thanks to intensive use of technology. Akın said that people proved that they did not forget about the elderly or relatives and friends through social media. Asst. Prof. Dr. Akın, who stated that technology, shaped how people communicated, said, “Based on the data by Turkish Statistical Institute, 82.4% of internet users have created a social media profile, sent messages, or shared posts. People have limited leisure time, so they want to use these special holidays to rest. Additionally, messaging or greeting via social media is cost-free. It is a great opportunity to show that loved ones are not forgotten or ignored”.