Özet:

Social media users are exposed to or witness varied behaviour due to the widespread presence of social networks in everyday life. Therefore, having knowledge of user agreements or community guidelines has become a fundamental requirement for users. Equipping users with this knowledge enables them to navigate their online interactions with heightened awareness and safety. In this study, articles related to bullying and harassment in the community guidelines of the top five most popular social media platforms in Turkey were examined. In other words, this study examined how social networks address harassment and bullying within the framework of community guidelines. The study reassesses how social networks express their responsibilities in the face of experiences of bullying and harassment by employing the theoretical background of the privatization of the digital public sphere. This study aims to highlight how social media platforms conduct the online mediation process to intervene in and prevent cases of harassment and bullying. The research is based on qualitative analysis of the articles related to issues such as harassment or bullying in community guidelines, and the findings are interpreted through the lens of the privatization of the digital public sphere. Ultimately, it is found that authorities at social media companies may not have sufficient documentation to prove a situation such as harassment or bullying and that they do not have enough leeway to take action as user moderation oversees all of these processes.

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