Young Adults' Sense of Belonging in the Context of SNS and Cyberspace Usage: Istanbul, Turkey

People have become more mobile with advances in transportation technologies. This has led to higher use of cyberspace and social network sites, and people have started socializing over cyberspace instead of meeting in physical spaces. This study analyses this process from a “uses and gratification theory” perspective and addresses how people's sense of belonging to physical places changes through gratification achieved in cyberspace. Literature was reviewed, and a two-phase field study was designed. First, samples in various age groups (n=105) were asked questions about their sense of belonging, cyberspace, and SNS usage; then, a questionnaire of quantitative and semi-structured qualitative questions was conducted with young people (n=285). As a result of this study, up-to-date data were obtained about Istanbul's young people (18-30) and their relationship with physical space, SNS, and cyberspace. The original contribution of this study to literature is that whilst addiction to cyberspace draws young people away from a physical place, they maintain strong interaction with the world.