Domestication of Whatsapp Usage and Understanding Whatsapp Groups in Terms of Group Dynamics
Melike AkbıyıkThe widespread use of the Internet offers individuals a new daily life where everything has been transferred to the online environment and the limits in time and space have disappeared. New communication tools, especially accessible through smartphones, have also transferred social relationships to the online environment. This study investigated the domestication of WhatsApp usage and group dynamics of WhatsApp groups of freshmen university students of 2020. These students had no opportunity to have face-to-face interaction before. Through focus group discussion and in-depth interview analysis, we evaluated firstly the domestication of WhatsApp usage among students. The results showed that the reason why WhatsApp finds very frequent and intense use in their daily lives is their efforts to constantly stay in touch with each other. Secondly, group dynamics of class WhatsApp groups and (if present) small groups were assessed. It was found that class WhatsApp groups show the characteristics of a secondary group, which is a unique form of a social group. It is formally organized; there are task-oriented interactions, and the interactions are impersonal. In addition, when the number of group members decreases and online small groups are formed through WhatsApp, they also display primary group characteristics like being intimate, providing social support, and socialization.
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