The 11th International Communication Days commenced, hosted and organized by Üsküdar Üniversitesi, with the participation of prominent international figures. Delivering the opening speech at the symposium, held under the main theme of “Digital Inequality and Data Colonialism,” Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan began by stating, “It’s a good thing social media exists. If it were traditional media, we wouldn’t have been as informed about the recent events in Gaza, about what happened there.” Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör said: “How much information we receive, and to what extent, is also determined by others.” Rector Advisor Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan added: “There is a new form of imperialism that we can call digital imperialism.”
The 11th International Communication Days commenced hosted by Üsküdar Üniversitesi. A total of 50 sessions will be held throughout the 3-day symposium under the main theme of “Digital Inequality and Data Colonialism.” The symposium features expert speakers from national and international universities.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “It’s a good thing social media exists, otherwise we wouldn't have seen the Gaza events”
Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, began his speech by saying, “It’s a good thing social media exists,” and continued, “When we saw the recent events in Gaza, the inequality in Palestine, and the situation escalating to genocide, if it were traditional media, we would not have been so informed about what happened there, and we wouldn’t have seen it. We would have only seen the information presented to us. There would have been significant information manipulation, just as in the periods before social media. With this manipulation, we would have seen many prejudices continue. Our greatest enemy is prejudice, and our greatest need is dialogue.”
Tarhan: “Social media disrupted manipulation…”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that in a period where there is a need for global dialogue, communication was subject to manipulation, but social media disrupted this, reducing global information inequality, and added, “Hopefully, they won’t find a way to turn this into a digital dictatorship for the world.”
There are 3 types of communication styles effective in human interaction
Prof. Dr. Tarhan explained that there are three types of communication styles effective in human interaction: the first is cognitive style, the second is communication, and the third is coping style. He noted that these three styles form a person's character, that global inequality emerges from affected ways of thinking, and that racism is also a significant change in thinking.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that a study was conducted in Germany on how people became so evil after Hitler, revealing that Hitler manipulated science, and that the Nazi doctrine normalized evil among people.
“He who has only a weapon tries to solve every event with war”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also stated that automatic thought patterns shape society, recalling Maslow's saying that whoever has only a hammer as a tool sees all problems as nails, and thus, whoever has only a weapon as a tool tries to solve every event with war.
“The reason for insensitivity in Eastern societies is authoritarian rule…”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that political inequality is widespread in the world, saying, “We saw this in the Gaza events, but it’s not the same at the grassroots level. We don’t see this inequality in universities. Especially in Western societies, there is greater sensitivity at the grassroots level against this global inequality. In Eastern societies, there is insensitivity among young people towards global inequality. There is insensitivity towards imperialism. Why? I believe the reason for this is related to the authoritarian rule in Eastern societies. Consider a family: if the parents are oppressive, tyrannical, or authoritarian, the children will have low self-confidence and won't be able to defend their rights. After reaching early adolescence, they either become passive or leave home. The same thing happens in oppressive societies.”
“The thing that will best correct global inequality is being able to say ‘This is my opinion’”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that people in oppressive, authoritarian regimes also suffer from low self-confidence, saying, “I believe this is the background for the indifference, 'it's none of my business' attitude, and apathy prevalent in Eastern societies. The thing that will best correct global inequality is being able to say, ‘This is my opinion.’ To be able to say, ‘I think so.’ To be able to say, ‘No.’ And the institutions best able to say this are universities. Structures capable of expressing this should emerge among scientists.”
Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör: “A technological revolution has been ongoing in the world for many years”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör stated that a technological revolution has been ongoing in the world for many years, adding, “Humanity is in a process of evolution that began a long time ago and gained revolutionary character with the advent of Corona.”
Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör emphasized the need to focus on the positive aspects of the digital revolution and to be sensitive to its negative sides, stating that if people are made aware of the problems, they can be sensitive and resistant to the exploitative aspects of technology.
“Humanity uses technology, digital means, but uses them as desired by others”
Rector Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör stated, “Power, whether at the head of politics or economy, is always in alliance to keep the masses within its spheres of exploitation. Therefore, the whole world faces the direction of these powers in the transformative effect of digital technologies. Humanity uses technology, digital means, but uses them as desired by others.”
Prof. Dr. Nazife Güngör also stated that it is not a world where information is received as desired, adding, “In fact, how much information we receive and to what extent is also determined by others.”
Prof. Dr. Güngör said, “We want to stop this negative downward spiral in the world. As conscious intellectuals in the world, we must stand together.”
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan: “We must also be sensitive to the problems created by technologies”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Rector Advisor Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan stated that this year’s theme for the 11th International Communication Days is Digital Inequality and Data Colonialism, saying, “In this period of rapid development of digital technologies, it is certainly not enough to focus solely on the opportunities they create. As academics, we must also be sensitive to the problems these technologies create.”
Stating that 5.6 billion of the 8 billion global population own mobile phones, 5.3 billion have internet access, and 5 billion use social media, İrvan continued:
“There is a new imperialism that we can call digital imperialism”
“Looking at these figures, we can say how rapidly humanity is digitizing and adapting to the new media environment. On the other hand, we can also bring up the fact that millions of people are deprived of digital opportunities. In the developed regions of the world, there is a situation we can call digital fatigue. We can speak of a digital information flow that has reached incredible dimensions.
In the underdeveloped regions of the world, however, there is digital deprivation and even digital hunger. The digital divide between rich and poor countries is growing wider. Inequalities further deepen exploitation. There is a new form of imperialism that we can call digital imperialism.”
Prof. Dr. Natalie Fenton: “Media and communication systems cannot serve any form of democracy”
Speaking at the opening session moderated by Prof. Dr. Halil Nalçaoğlu from Istanbul Bilgi University, Prof. Dr. Natalie Fenton from the University of London gave a presentation on ‘Inequality and Exclusionary Regimes in the Digital Age: Thinking Towards an Egalitarian Imagination.’
Prof. Dr. Natalie Fenton stated, “In this conference, I will discuss a nuanced debate on the multifaceted dimensions of inequalities arising from digitalization, as well as various forms of colonialism emerging through data colonialism.” In her speech, she touched upon regimes of inequality and exclusion, providing the following information:
“While stating that democracy brings equality, we can also say that capitalism feeds on inequality, and therefore, democracy and capitalism cannot be reconciled. Although most media and communication systems are based on capitalist principles, they cannot be democratic on their own or serve any form of democracy.”
Prof. Dr. Haluk Geray: “If we want to create a better world, we must start with ourselves”
Prof. Dr. Haluk Geray from Ankara University, in his speech, pointed to 'techno-capitalism' and 'Cloud capitalism', explaining that the IMF and World Bank do not want developing countries to benefit from research funds, and their published reports emphasize that there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Prof. Dr. Haluk Geray also stated that the cloud technology economy finances northern countries, adding, “If we want to create a better world, we must start with ourselves. We must free ourselves from the cloud slavery in our own lives. We also need an artificial intelligence for public benefit.”
Prof. Dr. Ümit Atabek: “Digital technologies can reduce the value of labor”
Among the session speakers, Retired Professor Prof. Dr. Ümit Atabek, in his presentation titled ‘The New Stage of Capitalism: The Colonial Order Triggered by Digital Data,’ addressed terminology, the differences between analog and digital data, the conventional exploitation order versus the digital data-triggered exploitation order, and how Turkish information and communication technologies contribute to this order.
Prof. Dr. Ümit Atabek stated that the Turkish IT sector follows global trends, saying, “We cannot think of the Turkish information and communication technologies sector as an isolated, secluded sector. They follow global trends and are under the domination of global financial institutions.
My prediction is that the hegemony of global oligarchic companies will continue. There is no short-term solution. As a result of the problem of the continuation of this digital order triggered by digital data, we will face some challenges. These technologies do not significantly reduce employment, but they cause a contraction in some job groups. Furthermore, they can also reduce the value of labor.”
250 papers to be presented in 50 sessions during the 3-day symposium
The 3-day symposium, featuring the participation of prominent international figures, will see 250 papers presented in 50 sessions, including speakers such as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahar Muratoğlu Pehlivan from Üsküdar Üniversitesi, Prof. Dr. Nick Couldry from the London School of Economics, Prof. Dr. Ulises A. Mejias from the State University of New York, Prof. Dr. Tuğba Asrak Hasdemir from Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, and Prof. Dr. Elena Vartanova from Moscow State University.
At the symposium, which will address various aspects of digital inequality and data colonialism, abstract texts of all presented papers, and subsequently full texts, will be published as a book and shared with the public. Furthermore, all sessions of the symposium will be archived as video recordings on the symposium's website and made accessible to all interested parties.