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Short abstract:

With a long-term ethnographic approach, this study focuses on mapping the interconnected relationships formed through social media platforms in the creation and shaping of collective and individual memories among the younger demographic in Turkey.

Long abstract:

With a long-term ethnographic approach, this study focuses on mapping the interconnected relationships formed through social media platforms in the creation and shaping of collective and individual memories among the younger demographic in Turkey. Recognizing social media as spaces for self-expression and the development of social ties, the study explores how these digital interactions are intertwined with personal aspects of life, intricately influenced by daily communication. This research centers on the dynamics of social media platforms, acknowledging them as digital landscapes where young people engage in self-expression and the cultivation of social connections. It also investigates the interplay between online and offline relations, aiming to recall memories and facilitate the formation of new experiences within the context of shaping and perpetuating social frames of reference.

Over a span of three years and involving forty university students, this approach employs a diverse array of methods, encompassing both online and offline in-depth interviews, long-term field observations, analyses of social media profiles, and solicitation of visual materials from participants. The primary objective of this approach is to construct a multifaceted map that integrates both visual and textual components to gain insights into how young individuals' engagement with social media intricately intertwines with their broader social perspective. It also places emphasis on exploring the intersection of these digital spaces with the concept of memory by challenging the traditional separation of online and offline realms, delving into the interdependence that characterizes these spaces, aiming to dismantle cultural layers and complex relationships.