Abstract This project indicates the importance of accurate information to be transmitted to the public and the problems related to the lack of information about public bus transportation in the Dikilitaş neighborhood, Istanbul, via transmedia storytelling. IETT provides public transportation services in Istanbul. It uses several communication channels such as the institution's website, smartphone application, information screens on the bus stations, and information screens inside the buses to convey essential information about public transportation to the passengers. However, none of these tools are working properly, and they fail to give accurate information to passengers. Dikilitaş is located on a high hill in Beşiktaş, and it is hard for residents - especially for people with varying types of physical disabilities, elders, children, and people with heavy belongings - to reach their desired destination in the area by walking. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the residents' attention to these problems and to enforce IETT to propose solutions to them. In this process, firstly, the erroneous information provided by IETT is gathered, and IETT is informed about that information via e-mail and their call-center. Secondly, the opinions of the residents about these problems are monitored via participant observation and interviews. All of these conversations, observations, and interview records are gathered on a blog(http://buotobusugordunuzmu.tumblr.com). This information is transferred into a pop-up book with my personal storyline. A leaflet is designed and hung on the bus stations around the neighborhood to attract the attention of the residents to the blog. Furthermore, a promotional video of the book is recorded and published on the blog. In conclusion, the residents started to get in touch with IETT via e-mails and call-center to complain about the problems in public transportation services in Dikilitaş. IETT declared that they accepted the problem and promised to provide a solution later in 2015.
Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 4(2), pp. 59 - 66 DOI: 10.13189/sa.2016.040203 ISSN: 2331-6179 (print) | 2331-6187 (online)
Link: https://www.hrpub.org/journals/article_info.php?aid=3442