Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual Paradigms

Cyberstalking is a phenomenon that induces severe psychological disorders, including fear, anxiety,depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, in victims. A critical synthesis of the literature identifiesa notable deficiency in multidimensional research concerning cyberstalking practices within...

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Main Author: Zindan Çakıcı
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Marmara University 2024-12-01
Series:Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3948478
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author Zindan Çakıcı
author_facet Zindan Çakıcı
author_sort Zindan Çakıcı
collection DOAJ
description Cyberstalking is a phenomenon that induces severe psychological disorders, including fear, anxiety,depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, in victims. A critical synthesis of the literature identifiesa notable deficiency in multidimensional research concerning cyberstalking practices within the Turkishcontext. This study undertakes a comprehensive examination of cyberstalking practices among Turkishyouth, with a specific focus on the dynamics of inter-platform migration. Utilizing a snowball samplingtechnique, 16 participants aged 18-30, exhibiting diverse socio-demographic profiles, were recruited.During the experimental phase, participants engaged in a systematic and audible monitoring of anindividual, with whom they had either recently acquainted or had no prior information about, throughdigital media channels, replicating their routine cyberstalking practices. Subsequent semi-structuredinterviews were conducted to elicit detailed insights into participants’ cyberstalking practices. The findingsreveal Instagram as the primary locus of cyberstalking practices, driven by participants’ informationacquisition motives. X (Twitter) serves as a means to discern individuals’ political affiliations, Facebookas a repository of historical data, and Google facilitates access to individuals’ social networks. Notably,LinkedIn elicits the greatest participant unease due to notification mechanisms, while WhatsApp is leastutilized owing to data limitations. While participants generally perceive cyberstalking as normative, manyresort to various stratagems, including the creation of fictitious accounts, to access restricted profiles.Despite intensive engagement in these practices, the majority eschew self-identification as ‘stalkers,’ citingperceived excessiveness and intimidation associated with the label.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2630-6220
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series Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi
spelling doaj-art-51d972609f314f4684bb5436ac6729df2025-01-26T09:23:54ZengMarmara UniversityTürkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi2630-62202024-12-014612210.17829/turcom.14882783Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual ParadigmsZindan Çakıcı0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8916-0582Üsküdar ÜniversitesiCyberstalking is a phenomenon that induces severe psychological disorders, including fear, anxiety,depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, in victims. A critical synthesis of the literature identifiesa notable deficiency in multidimensional research concerning cyberstalking practices within the Turkishcontext. This study undertakes a comprehensive examination of cyberstalking practices among Turkishyouth, with a specific focus on the dynamics of inter-platform migration. Utilizing a snowball samplingtechnique, 16 participants aged 18-30, exhibiting diverse socio-demographic profiles, were recruited.During the experimental phase, participants engaged in a systematic and audible monitoring of anindividual, with whom they had either recently acquainted or had no prior information about, throughdigital media channels, replicating their routine cyberstalking practices. Subsequent semi-structuredinterviews were conducted to elicit detailed insights into participants’ cyberstalking practices. The findingsreveal Instagram as the primary locus of cyberstalking practices, driven by participants’ informationacquisition motives. X (Twitter) serves as a means to discern individuals’ political affiliations, Facebookas a repository of historical data, and Google facilitates access to individuals’ social networks. Notably,LinkedIn elicits the greatest participant unease due to notification mechanisms, while WhatsApp is leastutilized owing to data limitations. While participants generally perceive cyberstalking as normative, manyresort to various stratagems, including the creation of fictitious accounts, to access restricted profiles.Despite intensive engagement in these practices, the majority eschew self-identification as ‘stalkers,’ citingperceived excessiveness and intimidation associated with the label.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3948478dijital medyadijital gözetimi̇z sürmesiber takipgençlikdigital mediadigital surveillancestalkingcyberstalkingyouth
spellingShingle Zindan Çakıcı
Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual Paradigms
Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi
dijital medya
dijital gözetim
i̇z sürme
siber takip
gençlik
digital media
digital surveillance
stalking
cyberstalking
youth
title Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual Paradigms
title_full Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual Paradigms
title_fullStr Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual Paradigms
title_full_unstemmed Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual Paradigms
title_short Cyberstalking Practices Among Youth in Türkiye: Motivational Drivers, Digital Avenues, and Perceptual Paradigms
title_sort cyberstalking practices among youth in turkiye motivational drivers digital avenues and perceptual paradigms
topic dijital medya
dijital gözetim
i̇z sürme
siber takip
gençlik
digital media
digital surveillance
stalking
cyberstalking
youth
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3948478
work_keys_str_mv AT zindancakıcı cyberstalkingpracticesamongyouthinturkiyemotivationaldriversdigitalavenuesandperceptualparadigms