As the daily use of social media increases, the level of spiritual life decreases
Under the leadership of President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, a comprehensive research was carried out to measure the extent to which spiritual values are included in family life throughout Türkiye. According to the results of the research conducted with 476 volunteer participants across Türkiye, it is seen that the level of spiritual life decreases as the daily social media usage time increases. Accordingly, it was found that those who used less than 1 hour had the highest level of spiritual experience, and those who used it for 4 hours or more had the lowest.
President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan led the research carried out throughout Türkiye and Faculty of Communication New Media and Journalism Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Aylin Tutgun Ünal also took part in the realization of the research. With this research, it was aimed to measure the extent to which spiritual values are included in family life.
The research was carried out with 476 volunteer participants across Türkiye
In order to develop Prof. Nevzat Tarhan's 'Üsküdar Spiritual Life in the Family Scale' and to obtain the first results with the use of the scale, a research was carried out with one thousand 476 volunteer participants across Türkiye. With this scale, it was aimed to measure the extent to which spiritual values are included in family life.
The family is vital in laying the foundation of the child's values education. In this direction, the development of the 'Spiritual Life in the Family Scale' was considered important in terms of conducting research and drawing attention to the subject.
The age range of the participants was 18 to 72, and the average age was 37
As a result of the validity and reliability studies, a valid and reliable scale consisting of 39 items and 4 dimensions (Family Environment, Behavior, Religious Education, Discipline) emerged. Thus, spiritual values in the family could be measured with the items under the dimensions of Family Environment, Behavior, Religious Education and Discipline. In the scale, various items were included within the scope of consultation, equality, autonomy, equity, love, respect, trust, sharing, material and spiritual gains. The first results were obtained by applying the scale to one thousand 476 participants across Türkiye, whose age range is 18 to 72 and the average age is 37.
It turns out that women attach more importance to affection and tolerance at home
According to the results of the research, women's perception levels in the dimension of 'religious education' and 'family environment' in spiritual life in the family were found to be higher than men according to gender.
According to the size of the family environment, it turns out that women attach more importance to affection and tolerance at home. However, it was found that women care about trying to solve problems at home, finding solutions to problems by talking, showing love for each other instead of suppressing emotions, supporting each other in situations of distress and sadness, making sacrifices, making sacrifices when someone gets into trouble, others worrying about it, having some rules in the house and feeling mostly happy at home.
Women find religious education more necessary than men
Throughout religious education, women's scores on the scale compared to men made a significant difference. In other words, the researched showed that women's attitudes towards the necessity of religious education and that women agree that religion’s education should be given primarily in family life more than men. However, it was found that women showed a higher level of tendency to comply with the time, to work planned, to keep their promises, and to tell their children about good moral traits.
Does the level of spiritual life in the family change as the use of social media increases?
Another result of the study was that the use of social media differentiated the level of spiritual life in the family. Accordingly, as the use of social media increases, the level of spiritual life in the family decreases. It was found that those who used social media for less than 1 hour a day had the highest level of spiritual life, and those who used it for 4 hours or more were found to be the lowest.
When the dimensions were examined in the research and daily social media use exceeded 1 hour, it was observed that the perception of the family environment decreased. According to the scale items, it was revealed that the importance given to some values such as problem solving, compassion, tolerance, happiness, love, respect, and sacrifice, which are specified in the dimension of family environment, decreased with the use of social media.
With the increasing use of social media, teaching children is also decreasing
In the behavioral dimension, a differentiation was found for daily social media use. As the daily use of social media increases, the attitude towards some behavioral education for children decreases. In particular, the use of social media for 4-6 hours a day is accompanied by a decrease in the dimension of behavior in the spiritual life in the family. With the increasing use of social media, it was observed that teaching children something, enabling the development of their abilities, reading to learn child psychology and acting accordingly, being respectful to family members when they think differently, encouraging the child to make decisions by offering options, giving ideas in the family, playing games with the child, chatting and talking behaviors decreased.
As the use of social media increases, religious education is also reduced to a minimum
In the dimension of religious education, when daily social media use is 4 hours or more, the perception of religious education in the family decreases. When social media is used for 1 hour or less, the perception of spiritual life and religious education in the family is at a normal level. There is a decrease when social media is used for 4 hours or more a day. In this context, it can be said that as the use of social media increases, the importance given to religious education, religious education in the family and some moral behaviors decreases.
Some of the spiritual values included in the book Conscious Family published by Prof. Nevzat Tarhan in 2019 are as follows:
• Conferring: Solving problems through mutual consultations and participation.
• Equality: Everyone should be treated equally in responsibilities and occupations such as the use of time, money, education, the distribution of freedom and responsibility, and the use of opportunities at the point of complying with the rules within the family.
• Autonomy: Each individual should feel that they belong to the family and at the same time feel free.
• Justifying: In the exercise of rights, there should be a distribution where everyone can feel themselves in a fair environment. Boundaries should be clear when it comes to the rights of parents and children.
• Love, affection: The warm relationships formed by love are the most precious bond of the family, this feeling feeds compassion, sacrifice and empathy.
• Respect, esteem: Family members should be able to take care of each other's personal rights.
• Trusting, confidence: In order for a sense of loyalty to occur, family members must be sure that they will not be harmed by each other.
• Sharing: Family members have an ethical understanding that can give up some of their rights in favor of each other.
• Secular upbringings: It contributes to the values that hold together the achievements of your family, such as wealth, fame, status, and power
• Religious upbringings: The family's view of life, events, death, creation, Divine power, patience, humility, and existence adds meaningful contribution and consolation to staying together, especially in times of crisis.
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)