From the Reproduction of Fear of Terrorism to Spectacularist Identity Formation Safety Check as a Means of Communication

Abstract

This study aims to reveal perceptions and opinions about using Safety Check -a security-notification feature on Facebook activated in the event of a disaster - in the case of terrorist attacks in Turkey. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with 10 people in 2018 and 2019, two of whom had used the app while eight had not, and a content analysis was carried out of comments made on the online platform Eksi Sozluk. The results of the research indicate that the use of Safety Check serves not only functional purposes such as communication, but also purposes such as identity construction, being part of the 'trend', and even merely participating in social-media sharing. The most important finding is that Safety Check is seen as a device for producing and triggering insecurity and fear.