📋 Tender Overview
In his address to the 16th Conference of the Global Communication Association titled "The Future of Communications: Promises and Challenges," hosted by Marmara University, Faculty of Communication, Presidency's Head of Communications Fahrettin Altun underscored that the international media status quo believed it had a monopoly on establishing what to highlight and ignore.
Head of Communications Altun noted that when debating the issue of communication's future, the rapidity and intensity of digitalisation force us to consider the problem from multiple angles.
Citing that digitalisation, like any innovation, comes with its fair share of pros and cons, Head of Communications Altun stated that we should prioritise maximising efficiency by embracing digitalisation's positive aspects while minimising its negative aspects.
Head of Communications Altun stated that a communications ecosystem is needed at this juncture, in which data security is ensured; technology and social media companies, which consider themselves to be above all authorities, are held accountable under the law; disinformation can be easily identified and discredited; and the truth is prevalent.
Altun pointed out that the impact of issues such as armed conflicts, political crises, natural disasters, irregular migrations, pandemics, and economic crises has multiplied significantly in recent years due to the effects of digitalisation in media and communication. He emphasised that extensive use was made of digital channels to manipulate international public opinion throughout crises such as the recent Russia-Ukraine War, as well as Israel's heinous atrocities and genocide in Gaza.
Head of Communications Altun noted that humankind is currently going through what is known as the Frankenstein Syndrome and said:
"Today, humanity is under the tutelage of the technologies it has created with its own hands. As Frankenstein said to the scientist who created him, 'You are my creator, but I am your master!' Regrettably, the human race has been unable to devise ethical codes, policies, and strategies that adequately confront the challenges presented by these technologies. Unfortunately, humanity has been unable to build comprehensive strategies and policies to address a variety of issues, including privacy, data security, cyber threats, hybrid warfare threats, digital fascism, and media imperialism, which have been on the agenda frequently in recent years. On the contrary, many technological innovations that have increased the opportunities for societies and individuals to engage have become weapons for malignant groups' destructive activities as a result of disinformation, misinformation, and mass manipulation.
"On the global communication scene, there is now rigid stratification, even a caste system"
Drawing attention to the fact that the use of these tools facilitated the rapid dissemination of lies within the context of the new media order, Head of Communications Altun said that systematic disinformation attacks exposed specific segments of society, or even the entire international community, to the long-lasting poison of lies and that the virus of lies infects societies.
Altun noted that disinformation could even be used to conceal war crimes, massacres, and genocides as they have seen in recent months, saying, "All of this indicates that humanity is experiencing a crisis of truth. The crisis of truth is one of the main challenges threatening societies and individuals today. Unfortunately, the world system in which we live exacerbates this crisis of truth on the one hand, bringing about injustices in the international arena and in the international communication ecosystem on the other."
Highlighting that there was now rigid stratification, even a caste system, on the global communication scene, Head of Communications Altun went on to say:
"Similar to the presence of injustice in the global system, there is also injustice within the international communication system. In fact, we are discussing media imperialism that coexists with Western hegemony. This imperialist approach divides people into two groups: those who have the right to produce content and those who have to consume it. We are talking about an international media status quo that believes it has a monopoly on establishing what to highlight and ignore. According to this established order, 800 migrants drowning in the Mediterranean are not newsworthy. Because their lives are worthless in the eyes of this established order. However, the deaths of a few people during a tourist trip to the Titanic wreckage around the same time as this incident would dominate the news for days. This approach is simply not fair. However, this attitude, and more importantly, this global communication order, is currently being seriously questioned worldwide, and the desire for justice in the international system is revealing itself in the field of communication and media."
"The crisis of truth is the common problem of all of humanity, not just ourselves"
Head of Communications Altun said, "Türkiye has adopted a proactive stance in the face of humanity's problems, fighting tirelessly to overcome both the crisis of truth and global injustice in communication. Above all, President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's fight for justice and rights under the motto 'A fairer world is possible' inspires us."
Noting that the establishment of the Presidency's Directorate of Communications in 2018 was an institutional manifestation of the importance Türkiye attached to this issue, Head of Communications Altun stated, "With the establishment of the Directorate of Communications, the Republic of Türkiye has designated communication as an independent policy and strategy-making field. Thus, Türkiye has emerged as a leading country in formulating comprehensive strategies and public policies regarding the opportunities and challenges of this field.
