Surveillance society and new communication technologies: A research on generation Z

The main problematic of this study is based on the following duality: digital technologies, on the one hand, increase the scope of the phenomenon of surveillance quantitatively and qualitatively and make daily life open to the surveillance of the power; form the basis for digital culture that will liberate information from the monopoly of power and cause information to evolve into something that can be used collectively and transformed, and thus create individuals who are aware of their rights and can produce counter-surveillance strategies. In line with the purpose of the study, it was investigated what kind of consciousness the generation Z developed against digital surveillance, which is a power practice, by using digital media effectively. In this study, the technique of in-depth interview with 18 people was used. The results of the research showed that the participants share very little on digital media, they mostly used digital media to follow current events and to be aware of current developments. The main reason for this is that the participants see digital media as an extension of their real life rather than a separate realm of reality, and that the media usage practices of the participants are shaped according to the surveillance of other people in their social networks rather than the surveillance of power. It is understood that the participants' counter-surveillance strategies for digital surveillance are also formed in this direction. Keywords: Surveillance Society, Digital Media, Digital Surveillance, Z Generation, Digital Activism, Media Literacy