Investigation of New Habits and Behavior Patterns Formed by Whatsapp Users in Terms of the Rules of Good Manners in Turkish Culture

Abstract

It is seen that changes and new behavior patterns have emerged in both individual and social life thanks to the information and communication network which fits the world into smartphone technology. Considering that every technological product produced in the historical period, from papyrus to printing, from telegraph to Wi-Fi device, affects human behavior, social and economic structure, management understanding, etc., it is inevitable that there will be new changes in the future depending on technological developments. These changes, which can be seen in almost every field, also affect societies culturally. Today, mobile phones, which are used by people in daily life and have many different functions, have a large share in this change. From this point of view, by using a comparative method, this study aims to examine the rules of good manners, which have an important place in Turkish culture, and the behavioral patterns formed by the use of WhatsApp. Today, thanks to smartphones, the WhatsApp application which allows instant messaging and calling without being connected to a computer, has developed new features every other day and when needed. It is increasing the number of its users day by day and has become one of the most preferred communication platforms now. However, the issue of how the rules of good manners that are valid in face-to-face communication between people should be applied on this platform poses a problem. Adapting these unwritten rules, which have been formed in Turkish society over hundreds of years, to new applications and platforms that are the result of technology is another problem. Because, thanks to technology, new products are constantly being produced, so the process necessary for the formation of social norms in the virtual world cannot be completed. Therefore, it has been concluded that some features of WhatsApp, which is both a social media platform and an instant messaging application, do not comply with the social norms and codes of conduct existing in Turkish culture, even if it provides some benefits.