News Consumption Habits of Digital Immigrants on Social Media and Strategies for Combating Fake News: The Case of Kyrgyzstan

Year 2025, Issue: 20, 52 - 84, 30.09.2025

Betül Pazarbaşı , Farida Kachybekova

https://doi.org/10.32579/mecmua.1782174

Abstract

This study focuses on the news reading and sharing practices of digital migrants in Kyrgyzstan on social media, as well as their methods for detecting fake news, and aims to emphasize the importance of media literacy. While the number of academic studies on fake news in Kyrgyzstan has recently increased, analyses of digital migrants remain insufficient. This increases the significance of this study and aims to contribute to the ever-evolving digital media literature. The study employs a mixed methodology involving quantitative and qualitative data. In this context, a closed-ended online survey was administered to 128 digital migrants living in Kyrgyzstan and born before 1995. Interviews were conducted with 12 participants representing digital migrants using the semi-structured interview technique, a qualitative research method. The quantitative data obtained were analyzed using the PSPP statistical program, while the qualitative data were analyzed using the MAXQDA qualitative data analysis program and thematic analysis. The research findings reveal that social media is the primary news source providing information access for digital migrants in Kyrgyzstan. However, this situation appears to present various problems regarding information security and accuracy. Despite participants' access to technological infrastructure, they were found to lack media literacy. Furthermore, while it's noteworthy that they developed verification methods based on their personal experiences, they were observed to lack sufficient knowledge of official verification platforms.

Keywords

Digital Immigrants , Social Media , News Consumption , Fake News , Kyrgyzstan

Ethical Statement

Ethics permission was obtained with the decision number 21 taken at the meeting of Kocaeli University Rectorate Social and Human Sciences Ethics Committee dated 22/04/2025 and numbered 2025/05.

Dijital Göçmenlerin Sosyal Medyada Haber Tüketim Alışkanlıkları ve Sahte Haberle Mücadele Stratejileri: Kırgızistan Örneği

Abstract

Bu çalışma; Kırgızistan’daki dijital göçmenlerin sosyal medyada haber okuma, paylaşma pratiklerine ve sahte haberleri tespit etme yöntemlerine odaklanmakta, medya okuryazarlığının önemini vurgulamayı hedeflemektedir. Kırgızistan’da sahte haber konusunda yapılan akademik araştırmaların sayısı son dönemde artmakta, buna rağmen dijital göçmenlerle ilgili analizler henüz yetersiz kalmaktadır. Bu durum çalışmanın önemini artırmakta ve çalışma sürekli gelişen dijital medya literatürüne katkıda bulunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada nicel ve nitel verilerin yer aldığı karma yöntem uygulanmıştır. Bu kapsamda araştırmada Kırgızistan’da yaşayan ve 1995 öncesi doğmuş 128 dijital göçmene kapalı-uçlu olarak hazırlanan ve çevrimiçi olarak dağıtılan anket soruları yöneltilmekte, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme tekniği kullanılarak dijital göçmenleri temsil eden 12 katılımcıyla görüşme gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen nicel veriler PSPP istatistik programıyla, nitel veriler ise MAXQDA nitel veri analiz programına aktarılarak tematik analiz yöntemi ile yorumlanmıştır. Araştırma bulguları sosyal medyanın Kırgızistan’daki dijital göçmenler açısından bilgiye erişim sağlayan temel haber kaynağı olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Ancak bu durumun bilgi güvenliği, doğruluk konusunda çeşitli sorunları da beraberinde getirdiği görülmektedir. Katılımcıların teknolojik alt yapıya erişiminin yüksek olmasına rağmen medya okuryazarlık bağlamında yetersiz kaldıkları tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca kişisel deneyimlerine dayalı olarak doğrulama yöntemlerini geliştirdikleri dikkat çekici olmakla birlikte katılımcıların resmi doğrulama platformlarıyla ilgili yeterince bilgi sahibi olmadıkları gözlemlenmiştir.

Keywords

Dijital Göçmenler , Sosyal Medya , Haber Tüketimi , Sahte Haber , Kırgızistan

Ethical Statement

Kocaeli Üniversitesi Rektörlüğü Sosyal ve Beşeri Bilimler Etik Kurulunun 22/04/2025 tarih ve 2025/05 no’lu toplantısında alınan 21 sıra sayılı kararı ile Etik izni alınmıştır.

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