Surreal Venues of the Postmodern World: Social Networking Sites

Following the distinction of Internet becoming the locomotive of everyday life, crucial social changes have taken place in all areas of cultural and everyday life. Concepts such as time and space have disappeared, and classical communication methods have left their places to very different, alternative and technology-based applications for people’s interactions with each other. The Internet technology; holding a very important place for institutions’ communication with each other and providing the old habits to be ‘disposed of’ has allowed institutions to achieve savings also in the financial aspect. As a result of today's age of information and technology entering into union of forces with the Internet gaining a great momentum since the beginning of 21st century and entering into the veins of our social life, it has been seen that both individuals and institutions have left aside generally accepted rules and habits. This quick change has led people to different pursuits also due to the influences of the post-modern world and environmental conditions that we are within. Factors such as the dominant emergence of technology in all areas, individual approaches, alienation arising from loneliness have brought people rapidly towards a different search for identity in a 'virtual world' created by the Internet. Especially in the last 2-3 years with social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, which come to mind when we say the Internet, providing people the possibility of converting themselves into their ‘dream heroes’ in ‘surreal’ venues, prepared the ground for a decrease in sense of mutual trust with each other, as well as for the identities they created beyond what is true and wearing a very different ‘dress’. In this study, primarily the 'new world order', which is brought by the technological revolution, will be discussed, then critical perspective with both positive and negative aspects will be introduced to a different area, to which we started to get used and whose frame is drawn by the internet and social networking sites. Finally, the applications in the most popular social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook will be evaluated in regard to stories and the anticipation of situations, which we may face in the future.