Social Media Usage as A Dialogical Communication Instrument of Hospitals: A Research on Public Hospitals and Private Hospitals in Konya

Abstract

Internet, which is developing with technology, impacts the representation of institutions in digital platform like many other fields today and redirects individuals with the socialized form of the media. Social media, as a channel that individuals can access unlimitedly anytime, anywhere, guides access to information with the opportunity of digital participation to individuals with the Internet. The individual who participates in the communicational action process in two ways dialogically is considered in the position of transferring not only the information but also the transmitter. The study was basically created to address the use of social media in hospitals as a means of dialog. In the study, with the use of qualitative research method, the social media accounts activity on 13.11.2019-13.12.2019 of two hospitals in the category of public and private hospitals in Konya are examined. In the process where hospitals' Twitter, Instagram and Facebook shares are observed, shared topics, numbers, likes, images, are categorized qualitatively and social media page and interface differences are tried to be mentioned. In the research, which was observed, it was concluded that hospitals contribute to the dialogical cycle, share information, contain information that contains public information content, visitors do not encounter any obstacles in commenting, and share the social media accounts of hospitals within the scope of comments and messages. Due to the process of conversation and informing visitors, it is not considered dialogically sufficient.