Socrates Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Studies

ANIMAL SHELTERS AS LIVING SPACES PRESENTED IN KONYA LOCAL PRESS

Evren ATCI — 2025-09-23

Both district and metropolitan municipalities across Türkiye are seeking solutions to the problem of stray animals, which is frequently on the public agenda. Numerous studies have been conducted addressing the issue of stray animals from various perspectives, particularly in the fields of law, public administration, and social sciences. This study examines the “Stray Animals Natural Habitat,” a project implemented in the Meram district of Konya to address stray animals, through its presentation in local newspapers published in Konya. The way in which the “Natural habitats” issue, which is presented by the public authority as a humane perspective in solving the stray animal problem in the news, is presented in local newspapers, specifically in Konya province, is analyzed by analyzing the language and discursive structures used in presenting the problem and in the solution suggestions, using the discourse analysis method, which Teun Van Dijk describes as an effective method in revealing the power relations in society. In this study, it has been seen that the discourse created in the news is reproduced through the active and passive structures used in the news, especially the word choices and syntaxes used in the news, as well as the macro structures through news headlines and news themes. The news stories in this study present the natural habitat as a humane solution, and meaning is created at the macro level through headlines, news introductions, and subheadings. At the micro level, macro structural elements are supported by word choices, syntax, and the use of active and passive voices. In terms of the limitations of the study, the study was limited to the printed newspapers published only in Konya province on April 16, 2025, and internet news sites and national press published in the city were excluded from the scope. While no critical expression was found on the subject in the local newspapers examined, it was concluded that the newspapers handled the issue from a protective perspective in terms of public health. While animals were directly presented to the readers as a social threat in the news, it was observed that the news was conveyed to the readers with humane expressions from the perspective of animals through the discourse.

A STUDY ON THE USAGE AREAS OF CHATGPT AND CHATGPT ADDICTION AMONG DIGITAL NATIVES

Haydar Kerem HOŞGÖR — 2025-09-23

This study aimed to determine the purposes for which university students, representing digital natives, use ChatGPT, to assess their levels of ChatGPT addiction, and to identify whether there are significant differences between this addiction level and the participants' descriptive characteristics. The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 118 associate degree students enrolled in the Medical Documentation and Secretarial Program at a public university during the 2024–2025 academic year, all of whom had previously used ChatGPT for any purpose. In addition to descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and confirmatory factor analysis were used for data analysis, conducted through IBM SPSS V.26 and IBM AMOS V.23 software. It was found that 27% of digital natives had been using ChatGPT for more than a year, only 3% preferred the paid version, and 74% were satisfied with the services provided by ChatGPT. Moreover, 70.4% of the participants reported using ChatGPT primarily for educational purposes, such as preparing assignments, studying, and exam preparation. The students were found to have a below-average level of ChatGPT addiction (21.5±7.9). Second-year students and those who reported satisfaction with ChatGPT services had significantly higher levels of ChatGPT addiction (p<0.05). In conclusion, although students' ChatGPT addiction levels were below average, some items indicated notable mental preoccupation. The absence of significant differences beyond class level and satisfaction with ChatGPT use suggests that addiction levels may be more closely related to usage purposes and behavioral factors.

FESTIVALS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF GASTRONOMY TOURISM: THE EXAMPLE OF ERZURUM BREAKFAST FESTIVAL

Erkan DENK — 2025-09-23

This article reveals the importance of festivals in the development of gastronomy tourism by identifying the gastronomic elements of the event organized under the name of Erzurum Breakfast Festival. When the relevant literature is examined, no scientific study is found specifically for Erzurum Breakfast. Therefore, the study is important in terms of both promoting and marketing Erzurum breakfast, which is an important gastronomic value of the region, and contributing to the literature. Accordingly, the study was designed in accordance with the qualitative research method. Primary and secondary sources were used to collect study data. In this context, firstly, a document review was made, and then observations and interviews were held by participating in the Erzurum Breakfast festival. In addition, the data is supported by visuals of the products offered at the Erzurum Breakfast Festival. As a result of the content analysis of the data obtained in this context, it was determined that Erzurum breakfast has an important gastronomic value in the region, and a large part of the breakfast products are seen to be geographically marked products, and most of these products are served in establishments serving under the name of Erzurum Breakfast. Therefore, Erzurum breakfast attracts attention with its variety of products that have received geographical indication registration. As a result, Erzurum Breakfast is an important gastronomic product in the region and offers visitors the opportunity to experience the unique breakfast flavors of the region with a rich variety in a single meal. The breakfast meal organized as Erzurum Breakfast Festival also showcases the product diversity of the Erzurum region. In this context, by obtaining a geographical indication registration for Erzurum Breakfast, which is an important gastronomic value of the region, this value can gain a unique gastronomic identity.

ANALYSES OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RELIGIOUS TOURISM AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Levent AKSU — 2025-09-23

Religious tourism encompasses the travels of individuals to visit sacred sites, participate in religious rituals, and experience spiritual values. In recent years, within the tourism literature, it has been regarded not only as a socio-cultural phenomenon but also as an economic instrument in terms of income generation. The introduction of this study emphasizes the contribution of religious tourism to economic growth through channels such as foreign exchange earnings, employment creation, and the support of regional development. It influences the macroeconomic structure via mechanisms of expenditure, investment, and income multipliers. Furthermore, in the case of Turkey, the significance of sacred centers and destinations emerges through their impact on the socio-economic structure, the production and supply system, and value-added creation methods. In this context, the positive contribution of tourism to the balance of payments and its role in alleviating foreign exchange bottlenecks are particularly crucial for developing countries.

In the methodological analysis of econometric tests used to determine the nature of relationships between variables, a panel dataset was constructed for eight countries with a high concentration of religious centers covering the period 2000–2024. The dependent variable is GDP, while the independent variables include growth rate, population, per capita income, tourism revenue, number of incoming tourists, and the share of tourism revenue in exports. A total of 200 observations were analyzed, and panel causality and cointegration tests were applied. According to the panel Granger causality test results, a bidirectional causality was observed between tourism revenue and GDP. This indicates that tourism affects economic growth, while economic growth simultaneously stimulates tourism demand. The series were found to be integrated of order one, I (1), according to unit root tests. Econometric findings reveal that: (i) both short- and long-term Granger causality tests indicate bidirectional causality between tourism revenues and economic growth/GDP, confirming that tourism triggers economic growth and that growth, in turn, increases tourism demand; (ii) the magnitude of the coefficients is economically significant; and (iii) the share of tourism in exports has a high marginal effect on economic growth. Specifically, a one-unit increase in economic growth raises GDP by approximately 7.29%, while a one-unit increase in per capita income raises GDP by around 7.01%. Similarly, a one-unit increase in the number of tourists increases GDP by about 5.9%, a one-unit increase in tourism revenue raises GDP by approximately 5.5%, and a one-unit increase in the share of tourism in exports contributes roughly 16.5% to GDP growth. These findings provide strong support for the tourism-led growth hypothesis.

Economic-policy implications can be addressed under three main pillars: (1) The demand side-covering branding, route and product diversification (pilgrimage routes, thematic cruise tours, multi-country circuits), off-season packages, and travel facilitation; (2) The supply side-encompassing quality standardization in infrastructure, accommodation, and transportation linkages, as well as guidance, security, and crowd management; and (3) Governance-highlighting the importance of preserving cultural heritage, integrating local employment and SMEs, and ensuring the sustainability of data monitoring and impact analyses. These dimensions indicate that by enhancing the value-added share of religious tourism-which currently remains low within Turkey’s overall tourism sector-religious tourism can generate a leverage effect on economic growth.

MIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT MOVEMENTS TO TURKEY IN THE EARLY REPUBLICAN PERIOD THE CASE OF MACEDONIA

Recep ÇELİK — 2025-09-23

Migration is an action that stems from the motive to live in better living conditions and has left its mark on every period of history. The Balkan geography, which is important among migration actions, is an important geography that has maintained its popularity from the past to the present and has been the scene of sovereignty struggles. This geography, which was dominated by Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Huns, Avars, Bulgarians, Serbs and Turks, has maintained its vitality in every period of history. Although the Turkish domination of the region dates back to the Itil Bulgarians, the most glorious period was experienced during the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire, which dominated the region in the 13th century, maintained its sovereignty in these lands for five centuries. However, the developments in the 18th and 19th centuries broke the sovereignty of the Ottoman Empire and it was forced to withdraw from the region. This withdrawal started with the 93 war and until the end of the 1st World War, a rapid decline in the Turkish population was observed in the Balkan lands.The Republic of Turkey, which was established with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, has been both the continuation and heir of the Ottoman Empire. The concept of migration inherited from the Ottoman Empire was also adopted as a motto in the Republican Period. As a matter of fact, most of the migrations that occupied the agenda of the Republican Period for a long time were from the Balkan geography. The migrations from Macedonia, which occurred specifically in our subject, are analysed in three main periods: 1923-1933, 1934-1935 and 1936-1938 in Turkish and world history. This study will try to reveal the numerical data of migration, resettlement and population movements from Macedonia to Turkey.

EVALUATION OF EXAMPLES OF SPANISH PAINTING FROM THE VIEWER’S PERSPECTIVE

Tuncay Murat ATAL — 2025-09-23

Looking at the history of perspective from the sample world of a linear understanding of art shaped by Western canons within the historical framework, we see an aesthetic history dominated by a single-centered, masculine perspective that has taken a position for power and authority, shifting between gods and kings since primordial times. For all these reasons, the palimpsestic layers of perspective formed in today's viewer carry the large and small, recorded and anonymous traces of a very long historical process. The beginning of the existence of the viewer specific to this article is traced back to the 18th century, when art, artists, and the audience as individuals became autonomous. In addition, there is a research and analysis dimension that carries more traces of the viewer's gaze outside the record and attempts to direct the viewer's gaze towards an aesthetic space outside the archive. The history of aesthetics, shaped by a perspective nourished by the conceptual world of antiquity and informed by the terminology of ancient aesthetics, has undergone changes with the autonomy of art, the artist, and the viewer as an individual, traced back to the 18th century. In this long-term journey spanning from ancient times to the 20th century, and consequently to the present day, the viewer's perspective has changed, as has the vantage point. This article will examine the traces of changing perception processes from the viewer's perspective and the traces of aesthetic processes shaped between art, the artist, art production, and the viewer, using a comparative method based on historical examples, most of which are found in the Prado Museum Collection. Throughout this article, findings have been presented regarding how aesthetic perception in the palimpsestic layers of the viewer's mind positions itself in relation to the image, how the image is aesthetically perceived by the viewer, and how the image is re-created in the palimpsestic layers from the viewer's perspective.

UNDERSTANDING FASHION DESIGN: “CHANGING PARADIGMS AND REPRESENTATIONAL FORMS FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE IN THE 21ST CENTURY”

Vildan TOK DERECİ — 2025-09-23

Fashion, as a social phenomenon, has been a concept that has been continuously studied and defined since the day it became visible, representing change through constant renewal and diversifying in scope and representation between theory and practice throughout history. While theoretical studies explore the concept through its relationship with the knowledge clusters of the social sciences, design practice tends to situate it within a framework that includes creativity components, design process principles, methodology, and objects. Associated with contemporaneity, the concept has transformed into a multilayered structure within a comprehensive cycle that sometimes draws upon the discourses of art and, especially in the last century, develops a new terminology by adopting the language and terms of technology, thereby encompassing the industry as well. Efforts to define fashion, when grounded in the subjects of social sciences and explained as the visible showcase of art-design-technology, have struggled to establish a distinctive philosophical framework. This study, under the title “Understanding Fashion Design: Changing Paradigms and Forms of Representation from Theory to Practice in the 21st Century”, aims to address the current transformation of the fashion industry within the triangle of theory-practice-representation. The results reveal that the most prominent issue in today’s fashion industry is that the dominant fast fashion system (speed, scale, access) increases environmental and social costs; by contrast, slow fashion and circular economy approaches provide strong solutions in extending product lifespan, reducing waste, and preserving cultural values through early-stage design decisions. Innovations in the field of materials-such as green chemistry, hemp fiber, and cellulosic fiber regeneration-together with zero-waste pattern strategies and modular design models demonstrate that aesthetics and environmental benefits can coexist. Technological transformation, particularly in industrial processes, is redefining fashion production and representation through RFID and traceability systems, 3D digital design, virtual prototyping, and blockchain applications. New trends in education are being reinforced through sustainable design pedagogy, problem/workshop-based learning, and interdisciplinary modules, aiming to enhance students’ competencies in life cycle–oriented thinking and decision-making. The study also emphasizes that cultural sustainability and local craftsmanship reinforce the narrative of ethical luxury and origin stories; while fashion shows and spatial representation/narrative constructs have become important tools for increasing the cultural legitimacy of brands. However, in the dimension of consumer behavior, the gap between discourse and action is striking: despite the growing awareness of sustainability, fast fashion still dominates purchasing practices. In conclusion, understanding fashion design in the 21st century requires an approach inclined toward mapping multidimensional relationships that necessitate aesthetic, functional, ethical, cultural, and global analyses. Fashion should be understood through a holistic design governance approach that considers materials, processes, representation, and communication chains together, with the designer positioned at the center. Beyond drawing a clear framework for fashion design, this study aims to provide up-to-date data for designers, fashion researchers, and educators with an approach capable of analyzing change, highlighting shifting roles, and interpreting the scope of the evolving cycle from theory to practice.

ANALYSİS ON THE ROLE OF ALGORİTHMİC CULTURE İN EDUCATİON: THE DUOLİNGO CASE STUDY

Zuhal SÖNMEZER — 2025-09-28

This study aims to examine the transformation of educational systems in the digital age within the context of algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI). It discusses the concept of “Algorithmic Culture” in education and explores how this culture shapes teaching and learning processes. The research investigates the social and cognitive impacts of algorithms on educators and students, specifically evaluating the potential opportunities and inherent risks introduced by AI applications through the case of Duolingo. The study employed a systematic document analysis method by reviewing relevant literature. Findings reveal that AI-supported educational applications provide significant benefits in terms of personalization, accessibility, and efficiency. However, they also possess debatable implications for pedagogical autonomy and raise ethical concerns that could overshadow the importance of human-centered education. In this context, the study aims to guide educators and policymakers seeking to develop a critical perspective in the digitalized world of education. Furthermore, it contributes uniquely to the literature by offering a concrete analysis through the Duolingo case study.