Sosyal Medya Influencer Hesaplarında Siber Zorbalık

Abstract

Cyberbullying is a broad form of violence that began to be defined and discussed with the rise of the internet in our lives. This concept, which can be encountered in all areas of the internet, has in recent years found a place within social media, a domain that has become one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about the internet. In the context of cyberbullying, where social media users can be both the perpetrators and the victims, one group that stands out as victims are social media influencers. Social media influencers are individuals who, due to the identities they adopt and the profiles they build on these platforms, have the ability to interact with large audiences. While this interaction can have positive outcomes, it also brings negative consequences. One of the most prominent negative outcomes is cyberbullying activities. This study focuses on the forms of cyberbullying that social media influencers are subjected to through their online interactions. The research will be conducted by analyzing comments directed at 3 different social media influencers over a 5 period using the method of digital ethnography. Through observation and analysis of the data collected, themes of cyberbullying will be identified. This study aims to understand how cyberbullying, which takes various forms and contents across the internet, is specifically practiced in the context of social media influencers.