A qualitative study on the purposes and experiences of social media use among deaf individuals

With the development of communication technologies, social media has transformed from being merely a tool of entertainment into a significant domain for access to information, freedom of expression, and social participation. This transformation holds particular importance for deaf individuals, who need different channels of communication. For them, social media provides opportunities to communicate through written and visual content, to access information with the support of sign language or subtitles, and to engage with society. In this way, social media becomes a crucial tool that both strengthens their individual self-expression and enhances their social participation. Social media platforms, which are predominantly based on visual and written content, enable deaf individuals to express their identities, connect with others who share similar experiences, and gain social visibility. However, alongside these opportunities, negative aspects such as accessibility barriers in digital environments, discriminatory attitudes, cyberbullying, and misinformation also draw attention. The purpose of this study is to examine deaf individuals' personal experiences with social media, their purposes of use, and the challenges they encounter. Within the scope of this research, which is based on a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with deaf individuals, sign language was used during the process, and the data were evaluated through thematic analysis. The findings reveal that social media is used by deaf individuals for purposes such as obtaining information, communicating, self-expression, and creating social awareness, while at the same time they also face negative issues such as limited access, exclusion, trust problems, and digital violence. In this context, making social media a more inclusive and accessible communication space is of great importance in terms of enhancing the digital participation of deaf individuals.