Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Social media should be a mirror for us, but it has become a mask”

Üsküdar UniversityYoung Minds Academy (GBA), in collaboration with the Governorship of Hatay and the Confederation of Black Sea NGOs (KASTOB), held a youth webinar titled “Hope for the Youth, Life for Hatay” with Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, as part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ “Support Program for Empowering Youth Affected by Disasters.” The online seminar attracted great interest from young people. Emphasizing that civil society activities are events where young people accumulate memories, Prof. Tarhan stated that projects with spiritual value are highly meaningful. He advised the youth not to fall into despair or pessimism, underlining that those with strong hope and expectations will endure. He also remarked that social media, instead of acting as a mirror, has become a mask, likening it to nuclear energy.

The online seminar was attended by President of Üsküdar University and Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, GBA Director Dr. Nebiye Yaşar, President of the Turkish Bayburt Association Federation Hasan Saka, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Assembly Member İshak Koçoğlu, as well as confederation members, academics, and students from Hatay.

The discussion was moderated by journalist Şaban Özdemir.

“Civil society activities are events where youth accumulate memories”

In the “Hope for the Youth, Life for Hatay” program, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized the importance of spiritual investment. He said that “Civil society activities are events where young people accumulate memories. Through these activities, they share experiences, collect memories, and record life moments. These are like seeds planted into their developing souls, which will bear fruit 10 or 20 years later. That is why such projects, unlike visible infrastructure investments, are not immediately apparent. Investments in developing strong character become evident in the long term. There is a Chinese proverb: ‘If you want a one-year result, plant wheat. If you want a ten-year result, plant trees. But if you want a hundred-year result, educate people.’ These are activities that educate people. Especially projects that don’t provide instant material rewards but have high spiritual returns and long-term value are very valuable. I thank our Minister of Youth and Sports for supporting and showing sensitivity to these kinds of projects.”

“Flash Flood–Log” metaphor for AI impact

Explaining the progress of digitalization with a flash flood metaphor, Tarhan said: “For example, when heavy rain causes a flood and rivers overflow, logs float on the river. There are three kinds of attitudes here. First, some curse the rain and the flood and do nothing, only increasing their own stress. Second, some try to rescue one of the floating logs, which is useful. But the third group is the most important: they try to direct the logs in the flood. They do not only think about their own benefit but also the benefit of everything around them. They take action with a broader perspective. Artificial intelligence is like this. Just as the printing press caused significant changes in human history, AI will bring even greater disruption. It will challenge all our preconceptions.”

The right position must be taken against AI

Prof. Tarhan emphasized that artificial intelligence should be used purposefully: “Technology in itself is neutral. It is people who define a goal and a strategy. If you have a goal and a strategy, technology becomes an opportunity. AI becomes an opportunity. If you have neither, you're like a ship drifting without a compass or direction. You'll drift, be used, and sink. But if you have a goal and a strategy, AI can be like a wind in your sails. People say wind makes the kite fly, actually, it is not the wind, but how you position the kite against the wind. If we take the right position against AI now, it can carry us rapidly toward our goals. But young people often fall into the trap of pleasure. They get caught up in AI. If you don’t have a goal, you can’t say no to it. You fall into pleasure traps. Young people struggle with this. These generations are at some risk. When the internet first came out, we got swept up, then learned to use it beneficially. Now AI is here, and again, many will get swept up, but those who take the right position will use AI like the wind and get closer to their goals.”

“Those with strong hope will endure”

Tarhan emphasized that young people should not fall into hopelessness and pessimism: “Leadership in NGOs is very important for young people. We are trying to contribute in our own field. Those in charge of the country are also aware of this and are trying to support it. Global winds will blow, but young people should never fall into despair. With this beautiful project, we said ‘Hope for the Youth, Life for Hatay.’ Right now, what affects youth most is a sense of hopelessness and pessimism. But there is no need for young people to feel this way. If the youth potential is guided well, those feelings will diminish. There may be challenges, such as economic hardships, social difficulties, generational conflicts, but a young person who does not lose hope will seize the future. The critical concept here is hope. Those with high levels of hope and expectations will survive and lead the future.”

“There is an artificial wave of hopelessness in Türkiye”

Stating that feelings of hopelessness and pessimism are demotivating, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said: “This generation is conformist, impatient, and hasty. These traits push them toward despair and pessimism. They tend to worry, ‘What will I do when I graduate, when I enter working life?’ These tendencies break their motivation. Normally, in foreign high schools, the rate of students wanting to study abroad is high, but even in our national high schools, nearly 100% of final-year students want to go abroad. This is a serious brain drain. Right now, there is an artificial wave of hopelessness in Türkiye. In the past 20 years, Türkiye has made significant investments in infrastructure. If Plan A doesn’t work, there is Plan B, even Plan C. Young people will carry those out. Falling into hopelessness and pessimism is demotivating. And because it is demotivating, it leads people toward laziness and avoidance.”

“The conquest method of our time is conquering hearts”

Highlighting the importance of the power of ideas, Tarhan stated: “The method of this era should not be conquering castles or cities, but conquering minds and hearts. The conquest strategy of our time is to conquer hearts and minds. We should not see our strength in economic or financial power, but in the power of ideas. A person who trusts in their ideas does not fear debate.”

“Social media should be a mirror, but it becomes a mask”

Comparing social media to nuclear energy, Tarhan said: “Social media should act as a mirror for us, but instead it becomes a mask. Someone working with human psychology must be a mirror for their patient. A good therapist reflects the person; the patient discovers themselves, begins a journey of self-exploration, and gains insight. If we do that, we help that person telepathically. But social media hands out fake masks. It traps people in the pursuit of pleasure, promotes shortcuts, and prevents long-term thinking. A person with a meaningful goal, something worth sweating and working for, does not fall into the trap of social media. They use it like nuclear energy. If used wrongly, nuclear energy becomes an atomic bomb. But if used well, it lights up a city. So we shouldn’t see social media as a threat but as an opportunity. Only people with principles can do this. And principled people are those who pursue meaning and purpose.”

“Earn with your effort, have values, live with honor”

Offering life advice to young people, Tarhan shared that “I have a three-sentence motto for young people: ‘Earn with your effort, have values, live with honor.’ Let this be their life motto. Sweat, get tired, and earn with your own labor. There is nothing more beautiful than walking with your head held high. So live with honor. To live with honor, one must have values. Collect your values like a treasure or capital. They are like road signs on the journey of life. You may have learned them from your mother or father in childhood. You may also have learned some wrong things. Changing them is in your hands. We must have ideals and meaning. This is vision. A young person with vision is the conqueror of this era. If we want a youth like Fatih Sultan Mehmet, we must give them an ego ideal. A young person with an ego ideal will find their own path.”

“One side of the scale holds freedom, the other holds responsibility”

Emphasizing the importance of the balance between freedom and responsibility, Tarhan said: “For both parents and youth, balancing freedom and responsibility is crucial. If the scale tips too far toward freedom and not enough toward responsibility, one will go off track. Life is like riding a bicycle, if you go too fast, you’ll fall. If you ride with fear of making mistakes, you won’t move forward. If you stop completely, you’ll fall too. Both extremes are toxic. Excessive freedom is toxic; excessive responsibility is also toxic. It derails people from their paths. That is why there is a wise Stoic prayer that applies here. It is a beautiful saying that aligns with both philosophy and our belief system: ‘God, give me patience to endure what I cannot change, hope to work for what I can change, and wisdom to know the difference.’ Let them use this prayer and never lose hope.”

Dr. Nebiye Yaşar: “I hope our program brings goodness”

Director of the Young Minds Academy (GBA), Dr. Nebiye Yaşar, spoke during the program and said: “I feel honored to be here with you today. I hope this project will lead us to many beautiful journeys. I especially thank the Ministry of Youth and Sports for supporting our project. I hope our program brings goodness.”

Hasan Saka: “‘Hope for the Youth, Life for Hatay’ is a very important project”

President of the Turkish Bayburt Federation Hasan Saka also addressed the event and said: “‘Hope for the Youth, Life for Hatay’ is a very important project. I wholeheartedly thank Üsküdar University. I wish for the continuation and expansion of such projects.”

İshak Koçoğlu: “A valuable project in reaching out with a helping hand”

Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Assembly Member İshak Koçoğlu commented on the project: “I find this project very valuable in terms of extending a helping hand to the youth.”

The program, which attracted great interest, also included a Q&A session where Prof. Nevzat Tarhan responded to questions from the youth.

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)