Dr. Fatma Turan, Coordinator of Positive Psychology, evaluating the volunteerism motivations of young people growing up in the digital age, stated, “Young people participate in volunteer activities to answer the question ‘Who am I and what is my purpose in life in the world?’”
Pointing out that issues such as social inequality, climate crisis, and human and animal rights create intense emotional sensitivity in young people, Dr. Fatma Turan added, “During crisis periods caused by natural disasters, epidemics, wars, and migrations occurring in different geographies of the world, young people’s desire to ‘be useful’ becomes more visible.”
Dr. Fatma Turan, Coordinator of Positive Psychology and Department of Psychology Lecturer at Üsküdar University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, made evaluations on the topic of volunteerism in the digital age within the scope of December 5th World Volunteer Day.
“Volunteerism is heartfelt effort given with the aim of well-being and doing good”
Dr. Fatma Turan drew attention to the place of volunteerism in positive psychology literature, stating:
“The concept of volunteerism is defined as an individual or a group offering their time, knowledge, and effort to society, a group, or individuals in need, without any responsibility or obligation, and without expecting any material reward. Volunteerism is a heartfelt effort given with the aim of well-being and doing good. Those who perform this activity are called ‘volunteers’.”
“Volunteerism is observed to enhance well-being through mechanisms of altruism, sense of meaning, social relatedness, and self-efficacy. Furthermore, participating as a volunteer in social responsibility projects is stated to strengthen self-worth and self-efficacy in individuals, deepen the sense of meaning and purpose, develop emotion regulation skills, and increase positive emotions such as happiness, compassion, gratitude, and belonging.”
Young people volunteer asking ‘Who am I and what is my purpose in life in the world?’
Evaluating the volunteerism motivations of young people growing up in the digital age, Dr. Fatma Turan used the following expressions:
“We can express the intrinsic motivations of young people growing up in the digital world for volunteer activities as: a search for meaning and purpose, empathy and sensitivity to justice, and the need to contribute to society. Young people participate in volunteer activities to answer the question ‘Who am I and what is my purpose in life in the world?’ Additionally, issues such as social inequality, the climate crisis, and human and animal rights create intense emotional sensitivity in young people. Moreover, during crisis periods caused by natural disasters, epidemics, wars, and migrations occurring in different geographies of the world, young people’s desire to ‘be useful’ becomes more visible.”
The effect of peer solidarity increases participation in social responsibility projects
Explaining the social motivations of volunteerism as the sense of belonging and community, and peer influence, Dr. Fatma Turan said, “Digital communities that foster positive development create a social bond that mobilizes young people, and with the effect of peer solidarity, participation in social responsibility projects increases. Young people growing up in the digital world see positive development in leadership qualities, communication skills, digital content production, and project management competencies in their friends who participate in social responsibility projects, thus increasing their motivation to take part in volunteer activities. Furthermore, since social responsibility experiences create a significant difference among peers in university and job applications, young people also regard this area as career capital.”
Social media also brings the risk of ‘slacktivism’
Referring to the impact of social media on volunteerism, Dr. Fatma Turan continued:
“Social media can increase young people’s volunteer behaviors by lowering the awareness threshold, providing easy and quick access to action, creating social norms, and presenting strong emotional stimuli. This enables young people to hear about campaigns they can help much faster and access actions like donation links, digital signature campaigns, and online education projects more quickly. Content in video, short film, and story formats also activates young people’s empathy, leading to an increase in positive behaviors. However, content on social media also carries the risk of ‘slacktivism’ (superficial volunteerism). For example, superficial behaviors like ‘liking,’ ‘sharing,’ and ‘posting a story’ can replace real volunteerism, and external motivations such as gaining likes, visibility, and followers distance volunteer behavior from reality. Some young people who share content related to social responsibility also stay away from real volunteerism in the field, thinking ‘I've done my duty’.”
Earthquakes and disasters transform volunteerism
Emphasizing that crisis periods such as earthquakes and disasters transform volunteer movements, Dr. Fatma Turan said, “Crisis periods enable volunteerism motivations to both increase and reshape. During such important periods, individuals' need for social solidarity increases. Disasters like earthquakes, floods, and fires activate society’s idea of ‘unity,’ empathy, and sense of responsibility. Since crises create a need for concrete and rapid support, they increase young people’s behavior of ‘rushing to help and being with those in need’.”
Stating that volunteer behavior becomes more professional during crisis periods, Dr. Fatma Turan said, “Coordination occurs with institutions such as municipalities, AFAD, and non-governmental organizations. Institutional trust gains importance, and young people prefer transparent institutions. Especially young people who experience traumatic events in natural disasters exhibit behavior aimed at the sustainability of volunteerism and the widespread adoption of social responsibility projects.”
Digital volunteerism supports fieldwork
Also stating that digital volunteerism supports fieldwork, Dr. Fatma Turan made the following evaluation:
“Digital volunteerism cannot replace fieldwork, but it complements and transforms it. We can list the positive effects of digital volunteerism at this point as follows: It can contribute to increasing accessibility for young people who cannot leave their homes for any reason, are students, or live far away. By providing expertise-based support; it can lead to the emergence of new types of volunteerism with contributions such as academic mentoring, translation, and content creation. It can strengthen field organization by supporting field teams with digital skills such as data analysis, social media management, and campaign design. Digital campaigns can reach much wider audiences, and this can increase fundraising power.”
Fieldwork requires more intensive effort
Pointing out the effects that need attention regarding digital volunteerism, Dr. Fatma Turan said, “We can list these effects as follows: The risk of detachment and isolation from the field may arise in some young people as a result of the perception that online support is sufficient. The digital environment may not carry the transformative effect of real contact, and this can lead to emotional distance. While fieldwork requires more intensive effort, digital content may be more visible; this can lead to a decrease in the visibility of effort, thereby decreasing motivation. I would like to state that the way to make the world a better place is through volunteer activities.” she concluded.