THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN: SMARTPHONES IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS OF YOUTH

Abstract

Smartphones have invaded the daily lives of all the people around the world in such a way that they have the power of shaping interpersonal relationships. Although this is valid for people from all ages, college-aged youth use smartphones more than other age groups, therefore their relationships are affected more from these devices. Through fifteen in-depth interviews, this study demonstrates how use of smartphones shape romantic relationships of the college-aged youth in Turkey. Findings reveal that smartphones are an essential part of the relationships of today’s youth because of internet-based text-messaging applications, video call applications and social media platforms. Beside helping romantic relationships to start and proceed, interview results suggest that smartphones raise trust issues and create fragile relationships through attachment anxiety. These findings are essentially important for the sake of future marriages and families that today’s youth will establish, and this is the first qualitative study on the subject in Turkey.

Keywords

• smartphone,mobile phone,romantic relationships,youth,attachment anxiety

MADALYONUN ÖBÜR YÜZÜ: GENÇLERİN DUYGUSAL İLİŞKİLERİNDE AKILLI TELEFONLARIN YERİ

Abstract

Akıllı telefonlar dünyanın her yerindeki insanların gündelik yaşamlarını öylesine işgal etti ki, kişilerarası ilişkileri bile biçimlendirecek hale geldiler. Bu durum tüm yaş gruplarındaki bireyler için geçerli hale gelse de üniversite çağındaki gençler akıllı telefonları daha fazla kullanmakta ve bu sebeple bu yaş grubunun ilişkileri akıllı telefonlardan daha fazla etkilenmektedir. Bu çalışma, 15 derinlemesine görüşme aracılığıyla akıllı telefonların Türkiye’deki gençlerin duygusal ilişkilerini nasıl biçimlendirdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bulgulara göre internete dayalı mesajlaşma uygulamaları, görüntülü arama özelliği ve sosyal medya platformlarını barındırması sebebiyle akıllı telefonlar günümüz gençliğinin ilişkilerinin elzem bir parçasıdır. Görüşme sonuçlarına göre; akıllı telefonlar gençlerin duygusal ilişkilerinin başlaması ve ilerlemesine yardımcı olmanın yanında, aynı zamanda güven sorunları oluşturarak, bağlanma kaygısı aracılığıyla ilişkilerin bitmesine sebep olacak derecede kırılganlaştırmaktadır. Bu da gelecekte gençlerin yapacağı evliliklerin ve kuracakları ailelerin sağlamlığı ile ilgili önemle dikkate alınması gereken bir durumdur ve bu çalışma, konu ile ilgili Türkiye’de yapılan ilk nitel çalışmadır.

Keywords

• akıllı telefon,cep telefonu,duygusal ilişkiler,gençlik,bağlanma kaygısı

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