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The impact of social media on individuals' lives has been the subject of contemporary world literature. In his latest novel, award-winning author John Boyne wrote about social media addiction and how this addiction can turn people's lives upside down. The book was published by Delidolu Publications under the name "Echo Room" and presented to Turkish readers.

TURKEY -  The effects of social media platforms, whose use has become increasingly widespread due to the digital age, on people's lives have become the subject of contemporary literature. Irish writer John Boyne, who previously attracted significant attention in the world with his book "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas", about the friendship of two children during World War II, dealt with a very current issue: today's world dominated by social media, in his latest novel "Echo Chamber". In his novel, Boyne focused on social media addiction and how the echo chambers we are trapped in these media transform our lives. The book, published by Delidolu Publications, took its place on the shelves with the translation of Mert Doğruer.

“It analyses the effects of social media through characters”

Delidolu Publications Editor-in-Chief Ayşegül Utku Günaydın said the following about her novel "Echo Chamber", which was a finalist in the Irish Literature Awards and was widely talked about in the countries where it was published, "John Boyne discusses the effects of social media on society and individuals from different perspectives in his novel. He questions our understanding of reality with the characters he creates. While doing this, it reminds us that successive mistakes made in the face of the crazy demands of the virtual world can sometimes cause irreversible problems. We think that literature lovers will read with interest this novel, in which the author criticizes the effects of social media platforms that have become a part of our daily lives, with a sharp observation power and characteristic humour.” 

“Disaster is just a tweet away”

In his book "Echo Chamber", John Boyne starts by saying that "being human includes making mistakes, but sometimes just a mobile phone is enough to make things really bad”. He also portrays this through the life of the Cleverley family, who live a privileged life compared to society.
The lives of the Cleverley family, who have different social statuses and existential crises, suddenly turn upside down due to their social media addictions. Sixty-year-old George Cleverley, one of the book's main characters, is a popular television programmer surrounded by celebrities who cannot get over the intoxication of a glittering career. At the same time, his wife Beverley is a famous romance novel writer with all her books written by ghostwriters. The couple, the novel's subject, also has three children. Nelson, a teacher with serious social problems, longs for a girlfriend. Her sister Elizabeth also puts social media at the centre of her life, prioritizing increasing her followers above all else. The youngest child, Achilles, appears before the readers as a character who defrauds the rich, even though he is still a student. Each family member competes with each other in their real lives and fights a battle for their identities under the influence of social media.
With the story of this family that makes you laugh and ponder, Boyne also discusses how all kinds of identities, definitions and naming are undergoing transformation today and how different generations perceive the digital age.