Social Media, Cognitive Fatigue, and Political Apathy: The Implications of Digital Transformation for Youth

Öz

Digital transformation is reshaping how individuals access information, consume media, and form political attitudes. While the proliferation of social media platforms accelerates information flows, it also exposes individuals to constant stimulation, heightening cognitive fatigue and mental exhaustion. This study examines the impact of digital transformation and social media–induced cognitive overload on young people’s political interest, trust, and apathy. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the research draws on four focus group interviews and a survey of 320 students at Işık University. Qualitative findings reveal that intensive social media use fosters political indifference, weakens verification practices, and deepens distrust. Quantitative analyses confirm these patterns: the Individual and Political Perceptions scale proved to be two-dimensional, comprising conspiracy beliefs and populist orientations as distinct yet related factors. Structural modeling further shows that information overload increases social media fatigue, which in turn heightens boredom and channels its effects onto political perceptions. Boredom strongly predicts conspiratorial tendencies and also shows some positive effect on populist preferences. Combined with evidence of algorithmic filtering and disinformation, the results highlight the critical importance of enhancing digital media literacy to mitigate cognitive strain, counter misperceptions, and strengthen democratic resilience.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• digital transformation
• congitive fatigue
• social media
• political indifference
• apathy

Sosyal Medya, Bilişsel Yorgunluk ve Siyasi Apati: Dijital Dönüşümün Gençler Üzerindeki Yansımaları

Öz

Dijital dönüşüm, bireylerin bilgiye erişim biçimlerini, medya tüketim alışkanlıklarını ve siyasal tutumlarını köklü biçimde dönüştürmektedir. Sosyal medya platformlarının yaygınlaşması bilgi akışını hızlandırmakla birlikte, bireyleri sürekli uyarıma maruz bırakarak bilişsel yorgunluk ve zihinsel tükenmişliği artırmaktadır. Bu çalışma, dijital dönüşümün ve sosyal medya kaynaklı bilişsel yüklenmenin gençlerin siyasal ilgisi, güven algısı ve apati eğilimleri üzerindeki etkilerini incelemektedir. Karma yöntemle yürütülen araştırma, Işık Üniversitesi öğrencileriyle gerçekleştirilen dört odak grup görüşmesi ve 320 katılımcıdan toplanan anket verisine dayanmaktadır. Nitel gözlemler, sosyal medya kullanımının apatetik eğilimleri tetiklediğini, bilgi doğrulama süreçlerini zayıflattığını ve güven eksikliğini derinleştirdiğini göstermiştir. Nicel analizler, bu bulguları istatistiksel olarak doğrulamıştır. Yapısal çözümlemeler, bilgi yükünün sosyal medya yorgunluğunu artırdığını, bunun da sıkılganlık üzerinden politik algıları şekillendirdiğini göstermiştir. Özellikle sıkılganlık komplocu eğilimleri besleyen güçlü bir mekanizma olarak öne çıktığı gibi, daha sınırlı da olsa popülist yönelimleri de artırıcı bir etki göstermektedir. Bulgular, algoritmaların bireyleri belirli içeriklere yönlendirmesi ve dezenformasyonun yaygınlığı ile birleştiğinde, dijital medya okuryazarlığının geliştirilmesinin hem bilişsel yükü azaltmada hem de demokratik kapasiteyi güçlendirmede önem taşıdığını vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dijital dönüşüm
• bilişsel yorgunluk
• sosyal medya
• siyasi ilgisizlik
• apati

Kaynakça

1. Ahmed, S. ve Rasul, M. E. (2023). “Examining the Association Between Social Media Fatigue, Cognitive Ability, Narcissism and Misinformation Sharing: Cross-National Evidence from Eight Countries”. Scientific Reports, 13(15416).
2. Alper, S., Bayrak, F. ve Yılmaz, O. (2021). “Psychological Correlates of COVID-19 Conspiracy Beliefs and Preventive Measures: Evidence from Turkey”. Current Psychology, 40(11): 5708-5717.
3. Blumler, J. G. ve Kavanagh, D. (1999). “The Third Age of Political Communication”. Political Communication, 16(3): 209-230.
4. Bright, L. F., Kleiser, S. B. ve Grau, S. L. (2015). “Too Much Facebook? An Exploratory Examination of Social Media Fatigue”. Computers in Human Behavior, 44: 148-155.
5. Creswell, J. W., Shope, R., Plano Clark, V. L. ve Green, D. O. (2006). “How Interpretive Qualitative Research Extends Mixed Methods Research”. Research in the Schools, 13(1): 1-11.
6. Dahl, R. A. (1974). Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition. New Haven: Yale University Press.
7. DeCuir-Gunby, J. T. (2008). “Mixed Methods Research in the Social Sciences.” J. W. Osborne (ed.), Best Practices in Quantitative Methods (ss. 125-136). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
8. Demiralp, S. (2024). “Yorgun Zihinler, Viral Kalpler: Dijital Çağda Popülizm, Manipülasyon ve Otoriter Propaganda”. Varlık Dergisi. Aralık.

9. Denzin, N. K. ve Lincoln, Y. S. (2005). “Introduction: The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative Research.” N. K.
10. Denzin ve Y. S. Lincoln (der.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (ss. 1-32). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
11. Downs, A. (1957). An Economic Theory of Democracy. New York: Harper & Row.
12. Edmonds, W. A. ve Kennedy, T. D. (2017). An Applied Guide to Research Designs: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
13. Enikolopov, R., Petrova, M. ve Zhuravskaya, E. (2011). “Media and Political Persuasion: Evidence from Russia”. American Economic Review, 101(7): 3253-3285.
14. Farrell, H., Newman, A. ve Wallace, J. (2022). “Spirals of Delusion: How AI Distorts Decision-Making and Makes Dictators More Dangerous”. Foreign Affairs, 101: 168.
15. Fortes, L. S., Fonseca, F. S., Nakamura, F. Y., Barbosa, B. T., Gantois, P., de Lima-Júnior, D. ve Ferreira, M. E. (2021). “Effects of Mental Fatigue Induced by Social Media Use on Volleyball Decision-Making, Endurance, and Countermovement Jump Performance”. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 128(6): 2745-2766.
16. Harari, Y. N. (2024). Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI. London: Signal.
17. Howard, P. N. ve Hussain, M. M. (2011). Democracy’s Fourth Wave? Digital Media and the Arab Spring. New York: Oxford University Press.
18. Howe, K. R. (2004). “A Critique of Experimentalism.” Qualitative Inquiry, 10(1): 42-61.
19. Jost, J. T. (2017). “Ideological Asymmetries and the Essence of Political Psychology.” Political Psychology, 38(2): 167-208.
20. Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (2nd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.
21. Maier, G. J. (2005). “Personal Accounts: Bringing Grandma Home”. Psychiatric Services, 56(4): 416-417.
22. Marcora, S. M., Staiano, W. ve Manning, V. (2009). “Mental Fatigue Impairs Physical Performance in Humans”. Journal of Applied Physiology.
23. Mason, J. (2006). “Mixing Methods in a Qualitatively Driven Way”. Qualitative Research, 6(1): 9-25.
24. McNair, B. (2018). An Introduction to Political Communication (7th ed.). London: Routledge.
25. Moffitt, B. (2016). The Global Rise of Populism: Performance, Political Style, and Representation. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
26. Oakley, A. (1998). “Gender, Methodology and People’s Ways of Knowing: Some Problems with Feminism and the Paradigm Debate in Social Science”. Sociology, 32: 707-732.
27. Oakley, A. (2000). Experiments in Knowing: Gender and Method in the Social Sciences. Cambridge: Polity Press.
28. Pariser, E. (2011). The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You. London: Penguin.
29. Ravindran, T., Yeow Kuan, A. C. ve Hoe Lian, D. G. (2014). “Antecedents and Effects of Social Network Fatigue”. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 65(11): 2306-2320.
30. Rosenfeld, B. ve Wallace, J. (2024). “Information Politics and Propaganda in Authoritarian Societies”. Annual Review of Political Science, 27.
31. Sağlam, E. (2020). “What to Do with Conspiracy Theories? Insights from Contemporary Turkey.” Anthropology Today, 36(5): 18-21.
32. Sandelowski, M. (1996). “Using Qualitative Methods in Intervention Studies.” Research in Nursing & Health, 19: 359-364.
33. Shirky, C. (2011). “The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change.” Foreign Affairs, 90(1): 28-41.
34. Stockmann, D. ve Gallagher, M. E. (2011). “Remote Control: How the Media Sustain Authoritarian Rule in China”. Comparative Political Studies, 44(4): 436-467.
35. Vecchiato, R. (2019). “Scenario Planning, Cognition, and Strategic Investment Decisions in a Turbulent Environment”. Long Range Planning, 52(5): 101865.
36. Waisbord, S. (2018). “Populism as Media and Communication Phenomenon”. In Routledge Handbook of Global Populism (ss. 217-234). London: Routledge.