Surviving in the Digital Space: Digital Literacy of Syrian Immigrants in Turkey

Abstract

Turkey is one of the countries hosting the largest number of Syrian immigrants in the world. Integration of Syrian immigrants is one of the problems Turkey has to overcome. Many studies around the world show that digital communication tools can be used effectively by immigrants in many integration processes such as language learning, learning about culture and socialization. In this study, which was carried out as a project of The Scientific And Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), we aimed to determine the digital literacy levels of Syrian immigrants, which is a prerequisite for their integration by using digital tools. We applied a digital literacy scale adapted to Arabic to Syrian immigrants. The study, which was conducted both online and face-to-face, investigated the general digital literacy status of Syrian immigrants and their digital literacy levels according to variables such as gender, age, education level, income level, access to the internet, and Turkish citizenship status. Both at the general level and at the level of all variables, the digital literacy of Syrian immigrants was determined to be “Below Average / Weak”. Especially in European countries, public policies have started to be established to increase the digital literacy levels of isolated groups such as immigrants. In order to overcome the immigrant integration problem in Turkey through digital communication, public policies should be established to increase the digital literacy levels of immigrants.