Experts drawing attention to the effects of terror incidents on society state that while the actions of terrorist organizations mostly target innocent civilians, their main goal is to create an atmosphere of fear throughout society. Sociologist Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan emphasized that all segments of society should act very carefully regarding terror and should not fall into the trap targeted by terrorism, adding that media also has important duties in the context of not becoming propaganda material.
Should not become propaganda material…
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan, Head of the Sociology Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, made an assessment regarding the social impacts of terror incidents.
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan stated that although there is no universally agreed-upon definition of terrorism, it is often defined as “the systematic killing and destruction of individuals, groups, society, and government by an armed group with a specific ideology, in order to intimidate them into accepting their political demands.”
Creating an atmosphere of fear is targeted
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan stated that while the actions of terrorist organizations mostly target innocent civilians, their main goals are to completely destroy social order or re-establish it according to their own will by creating an atmosphere of fear throughout society.
Terrorist actions inflict deep wounds
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan, touching upon the effects of terror acts on society, said the following:
“We express the outcome of terror acts with the number of dead or injured. But where this fire falls is only the tip of the iceberg. Especially over a long period, terrorist actions occurring with high frequency inflict deep wounds on very broad segments of society. It is very important to pay attention to this because terrorist organizations aim to reduce the masses' belief and trust in the political order by giving them the feeling that their life and property safety are at risk, and they try to damage the trust between society and the state. Gradually, trust among people within society decreases. Everyone begins to look at each other with suspicion. The ties, traditions, and customs that bring society together are harmed.”
Terrorist organizations target big cities
Stating that terrorist organizations target big cities all over the world, Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan said, “They want to make their voices heard by carrying out their actions in the most important areas and streets of those cities. While disrupting social order, they also try to prevent participation in activities such as trade, tourism, entertainment, and art, which make a city a city. In this way, they aim to create despondency in urban life and anger against public authority.”
Should not become propaganda material…
For this reason, emphasizing that all segments of society should act very carefully regarding terror and should not fall into the trap targeted by terrorism, Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan concluded his words as follows:
“In this regard, significant duties fall especially on the media. Sometimes, even well-intentioned news reports made to condemn terror acts can become propaganda material as desired by the organization. The terrorist organization does not actually care whether it is spoken about positively or negatively in the media. Its goal is for its actions to be heard by as many people as possible, and to cause fear and panic in society. Therefore, to reduce the negative impact of terror acts on society, extreme care should be taken when reporting on the issue, and when discussing it at home, on the street, or among friends; care should be taken to conduct the discussion on the right grounds.”