Fear of surveillance: Examining Turkish social media users’ perception of surveillance and willingness to express opinions on social media

Abstract

In this study, we conducted an online survey (N = 447) to understand the impact of perceived surveillance on online political participation. Using the Spiral of Silence theory and surveillance culture as our theoretical frameworks, we explored how social media users’ perception of government surveillance impacts Turkish social media users’ willingness to express an opinion on social media. In addition, we examined whether perceived majority and online privacy skills moderate the relationship between perceived surveillance and willingness to express opinions on social media. The results suggested that perceived surveillance is negatively related to one’s willingness to express opinions. On the other hand, online privacy skills moderate the relationship between perceived surveillance and willingness to express opinions.