THE EFFECTS OF INTERNET CAFES ON SOCIAL CHANGE IN TURKEY: THE CASE OF HENDEK

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of Internet Cafes in embarking or bringing social change in Turkey. In this study, a questionnaire was administrated to 96 internet users in 10 different Internet Cafes in Hendek Province of Sakarya and interviews were made with these people on how the internet has been changing their personal and social lives. The survey included questions such as the amount of time spent in Internet cafes and the types of online activities engaged at the cafes. Social change, on the other hand, was defined as changes in somebody's belief system, way of life and his/her relations with other people. The findings of this study suggest that the internet cafes have been changing all facets of social life in Hendek and in many cases, the internet seems to have created a new way of doing old things and changing the manner in which people live their lives.