Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
International New Media Conference, İstanbul, Türkiye, 3 - 05 Aralık 2025, ss.1, (Özet Bildiri)
As social media platforms increasingly rely on algorithmic personalization in their advertising practices, questions surrounding what user data is collected and how it is processed have become more critical. One of the most widespread public perceptions within these debates is the belief that “we are being listened to”. Although recent quantitative studies have explored this perception from Western perspective, qualitative research focusing on vulnerable groups in countries with weak data protection and low levels of digital literacy remains scarce. Drawing on dataveillance and surveillance capitalism, this study aims to address this gap by examining how Turkish users aged 55 and above perceive and cope with data collection, analysis and categorization processes in the context of targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram. Based on ten in-depth interviews, walkthrough sessions conducted with participants from diverse backgrounds, and thematical analysis, the findings reveal that participants lack knowledge about what kind of data are collected and how. Instead, they associate targeted ads with folk theories such as “being listened to” even though actual monitoring occurs through data extraction, profiling and targeting. Despite discomfort, participants continue to use social media, reflecting a clear privacy paradox. Moreover, their coping strategies are limited to skipping ads, as they possess little awareness of cookies, tracking mechanisms, or privacy settings. The findings highlight the importance of data transparency for both social media industries and regulatory bodies, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen understanding of data collection and processing among digitally vulnerable groups.