Social Media Use of Higher Education Students in the Eartquake Disaster

In Turkey, where access to technology is increasing, it is seen that the use of social media has increased accordingly among the higher education students. Communicating, having quick access to current news, and having social interaction independent of time and place are among the reasons why social media is preferred. It is seen that social media is also preferred in disaster situations that have recently come to the agenda in Turkey. In this study, in which the use of social media in disaster situations was investigated, purposive sampling was used and the data obtained after the semi-structured interview with the higher education group were analyzed by descriptive analysis method. Interviews with 10 university students between the ages of 18-24 were conducted online. Interviews with 5 female and 5 male participants were recorded and then the recordings were analysed. The study investigated the reasons for the preference of social media in disaster situation with its positive and negative aspects discussed. As a result of the research, it was observed that social media is preferred more efficiently than traditional media in disaster situations facilitating the lives of disaster victims.