KBB-Forum 2016 , Cilt 15, Sayı 4

INVESTIGATION OF HABITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA PURPOSE FOR COMMUNICATION IN DEAF INDIVIDUALS

Odyolog Nedim TURGUT1, Dr. Aykut BOZAN2, Uzman Margut TURGUT3
1Yunus Emre İşitme Engelliler Okulu, Mersin, Türkiye
2Medical Park Tarsus Hastanesi Kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, Mersin, Türkiye
3Yunus Emre İşitme Engelliler okulu, Mersin, Türkiye
Aim: In this study, in hearing impaired individuals and normal hearing individuals, communicational-based usage of social media habits are studied.

Individuals and Method: 121 individuals were involved in the study and they were high school students. 58 of them were hearing impairment (36 female, 22 male) and 63 of them were normal hearing individuals (37 female, 26 male). ‘' Social Media Usage Analysis Survey ‘' which included in 12 questions was completed by all individuals in this study. The collected data was analyzed by the identifying statistical methods (frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, variance), then statistical comparisons according to the parametric conditions were made.

Results: 39(%68.4) of hearing impaired individuals and 49 (%77.8) of normal hearing individuals stated that they would use the social media. 20 (%35.1) individuals from the hearing impaired group said that they would use social media 15 or less minutes per day and on average 19 (30.2)-(%33.3) people from both groups said that they would use the social media for an hour per day. It could be said that the parents of both of groups usage of social media ratio was similar. 31(%54.4) individuals from the hearing impaired group were using the social media to share photographs or videos whereas 57 (%90.5) individuals from the normal hearing group were using the social media to communicate. 49 (%86) of the hearing impaired group was doing video chats and was using of sign language on the social media. It could be stated that both groups were mostly on Whatsapp and they were using smartphones as a device for accessing to social media. No statistical difference was found between the included groups. As much inter-group comparisons were not statistically significant, there was a positive correlation between using for the hearing device the duration of social media use.

Conclusion: When dealing with the ratio of using the social media, the time and frequency they spend on it, way they use to communicate, the aim of using it, the device that they use to access the social media for both groups, it could be said that social media is an important way of communication. Keywords : Social media, Deaf individuals, communıcation