Opinions of hearing-impaired individuals about social media: A preliminary study

Abstract

Objectives: The study examined the opinions of hearing-impaired individuals about the content on social media platforms, their social media usage tendencies, and their feelings, thoughts, and experiences during their use. Patients and Methods: Forty individuals aged 18 years and older who are native Turkish speakers diagnosed with hearing loss regardless of the type and degree of hearing loss participated in this cross-sectional survey study between November 1, 2021, and September 1, 2022. Individuals with advanced vision problems and illiterate individuals were excluded from the study. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: (i) demographic data and hearing loss characteristics; (ii) social media usage and purposes; (iii) opinions about the content on social media; and (iv) feelings, thoughts, and experiences about social media. Responses were evaluated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Results: The most common purposes of using social media were doing research and getting information about hearing loss and the technologies they use. Of the participants, 45.5% stated that they do not prefer their devices to be seen in the photos they share on social media platforms and that they are undecided about the ease of use of existing social media platforms for the hearing impaired. Conclusion: It is important to determine what hearing-impaired individuals feel about hearing loss and technologies, both to guide hearing care professionals and health institutions in creating content on these issues and to improve these platforms.