Stay away from social media while driving: Social media addiction as a traffic safety threat.

Abstract

Some people addicted to social media can spend time on social media platforms even while driving in traffic, which can cause various traffic accidents. Various organisations create advertising campaigns to raise public awareness regarding the danger caused by social media addiction in traffic. Using various visual and written signs in advertising campaigns, the study intended to encourage people not to use social media while driving. This study also aims to determine which signs are used and what kind of messages are given in the advertisements prepared for not using social media while driving. To this end, a total of nine advertising campaigns from Belgium, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Romania were scrutinised within the context of social media addiction and traffic safety by using the semiotics method. Visual and written signs in the advertisements scrutinised in the study were analysed through Karl B & uuml;hler's Organon Model, which consists of expression, representation, and appeal functions. It was found that social media addiction might lead to traffic accidents while driving, and death metaphors regarding traffic accidents were used in advertisements. The study concluded that advertising campaigns scrutinised tried to prevent people from using social media while driving via the fear appeal approach.