An Observation on Othering of 65+ Group During The First Phase of Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The increasing media consumption by the development of digital media platforms brought many disadvantages besides its incompatible advantages. Raising discussion was if the social media context consumption affects the societies’ reality perception and feedback attitudes. By the explosion Covid- 19 pandemic, these disadvantages came to the exposed surface of the public sphere with tearing the substantial hatred discourse at various topics. Although the effect of media on hatred discourse is not a new issue of the studies, lack of social media literacy of news writers and social media users caused to increase misinformation, social reactions and othering of some parts of society. One of these group was 65 + years during the first phase of Covid-19 pandemic. There were many different claims and misinformation spread about 65+ years group during the first phase of Covid-19 break. Within scope, the paper aims to analyse socially othering of 65 + years group during the pandemic by the effect of news corporations frame and social media user’s posts. In this aim, Twitter posts shared by main media accounts and Twitter comments shared by users about 65 + years group are collected to monitor and examine for exploring understanding the effect of news framing and the types of visual and textual language that caused othering of 65 + years group from the society. The scope guided us to observe shared hatred discourse that may indirectly influence exclusion of 65+ years from society. The study aims to contribute to the pandemic crisis period with a case study from a different perspective in Turkey.