Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
6. BİLSEL ULUSLARARASI ASPENDOS BİLİMSEL ARAŞTIRMALAR KONGRESİ, Antalya, Türkiye, 29 - 30 Kasım 2025, cilt.1, ss.714-721, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
The global maritime industry is undergoing a fundamental restructuring process driven by the impact of digital transformation. Digital innovations such as artificial intelligence-supported decision systems, big data analytics, autonomous ships, and remote monitoring technologies are enhancing operational efficiency while delivering significant gains in terms of safety, cost, and environmental performance. However, this technological advancement is creating fundamental changes in the human-centred nature of the maritime profession and leading to the invisibility of the human factor. Particularly with the increasing level of automation in ship operations, seafarers are being partially excluded from decision-making processes; this situation brings about a new transformation in their professional identity, belonging, and forms of social interaction. In this context, the concept of ‘digital loneliness’ addressed in this study is defined as a contemporary form of isolation that describes seafarers' increasing distance from real social relationships despite being constantly digitally connected. Although digital communication networks facilitate access to information, they cannot fully replace physical contact and emotional sharing. Long voyage durations, time differences, and artificial forms of communication can increase psychological wear and tear, loss of motivation, and social disconnection among seafarers. The findings of the study show that digitalisation is not only a technical modernisation but also a profound socio-technological transformation process. Therefore, it is crucial that digital transformation in the maritime sector is managed within a framework that prioritises human well-being, that psychosocial support mechanisms are strengthened, and that digital policies are aligned with human-centred sustainability principles. In this way, digitalisation can be seen as a force that does not exclude people, but rather redefines their professional value.