Examining university students' views towards gender dysphoria and transgender individuals

With globalization, the transformation of digital structures has reshaped social norms and roles, creating new virtual public spheres. These spheres have intensified social interactions and redefined the processes of self and identity construction. This transformation has enabled gender to be discussed beyond binary categories in more flexible and negotiable terms. In this context, experiences of gender dysphoria and trans identities have become increasingly visible in digital platforms and have gained space within public discourse. Among these digital spheres, social media has played a particularly significant role—not only as a communication tool but also as a space where individuals express their identities and share personal experiences, thus contributing greatly to the visibility of this transformation. This study aims to examine university students' perceptions of individuals experiencing gender dysphoria and of transgender individuals, based on the representations encountered on social media platforms. The research adopts a mixed-method approach, collecting quantitative data through surveys and qualitative data through semi-structured interviews. The sample consists of students at various academic levels from Sakarya University. The survey was administered to 350 students, and the quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0. In the qualitative part, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 students, and the data were thematically analyzed using MAXQDA 2020. Findings indicate that social media representations can significantly influence the perceptions of young university students regarding gender identity and may sometimes present misleading or oversimplified portrayals. It was observed that some students adopt simplified transition narratives without critical reflection, overlooking the complexity of these experiences. However, this effect tends to decrease with age and improved media literacy. The study highlights the importance of promoting social media literacy education and implementing safe content policies on digital platforms. The findings are discussed within the framework of existing literature, and several recommendations are presented.