Assistant Professor Ali Murat Kırık of Marmara University's Faculty of Communication reported that WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Periscope were the most used social media apps during Eid al-Fitr. Moreover, he said "Eid Mubarak" was the most trending topic on Twitter.
Turkey is among the countries that have the highest usage of social media apps. This year, millions of people in Turkey wished a happy Eid al-Fitr to their loved-ones through their social media accounts. In his statement to Anadolu Agency (AA), Kırık said the way people celebrate their special occasions, such as anniversaries, birthdays and religious holidays, changed when social media became part of people's daily life.
Stressing that face-to-face communication has now been replaced by virtual communication, Kırık said: "Especially following the 2000s when the Internet started to become widespread, there was a serious increase in the number of people who use technological devices. Today, mobile communication is mostly conducted through smartphones or tablet computers."
WhatsApp was most used app for celebrate Eid al-Fitr
Kırık said: "FOMO (the fear of missing out) kicked in during eid, and social media addiction also became widespread during eid celebrations due to phones and tablets. Known for his extensive studies on social media, Kırık announced that among social media apps, people in Turkey mainly used WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter and Periscope to wish a happy eid to their loved ones during Eid al-Fitr." "People used to send postcards to those who they could not visit during eid," Kırık said, adding: "Following technological developments, postcards were replaced by phone calls or short messages. As it is possible to send messages, photos and videos via WhatsApp, people chose to communicate via this app."
First Eid al-Fitr-related tweet was sent at 12:08 a.m. from Turkey
Kırık said 80 percent of eid messages on social media were sent via cellphones. He also said the first Eid al-Fitr-related tweet was "Bayramınız Mübarek Olsun" (happy eid) and was sent at 12:08 a.m. on July 17, the first day of eid. "In the following tweets, users began to use the hashtag ‘EidMubarek.' Twitter users wrote ‘Eid Mubarak' in Turkish 176,426 times to send their eid message," Kırık said.
Periscope choice of eid message app for families
Another social media app that was used by people in Turkey to send eid messages was Periscope, which is an app that allows people to share their live streaming videos via Twitter. Kırık reported about 60,000 Periscope videos were shared via Twitter throughout Eid al-Fitr. "People used to visit the elderly in their homes to celebrate eid. Now, sending eid messages on social media has taken over. As Periscope allows people to communicate through videos, it was highly popular among people in Turkey during eid. "Families began celebrating each other's eid via Periscope," Kırık said. Stressing that old eid traditions have begun to disappear, Kırık said people send images or icons of hearts, flowers and chocolates or virtual shopping cards to their loved ones instead of actual eid presents.
