The seminar titled ‘Society’s Delayed Face: Earthquake,’ organized by the Üsküdar Üniversitesi Sociology Club, was followed with great interest by students. The event, held at the Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall, featured Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan, Head of the Sociology Department at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Dr. Lecturer Meltem Narter from the Psychology Department as speakers.
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan: “There is no one in Turkey equipped to do earthquake journalism…”
Prof. Dr. Süleyman İrvan, speaking about the earthquake's reflections in the media and earthquake journalism, said: “All segments of society are experiencing secondary trauma. Every time we watch earthquake footage, we experience the same thing. I also see this latest earthquake as the first earthquake to be broadcast. The biggest problem here is that despite being an earthquake country, we have no preparation. Despite being an earthquake country, there is no one in Turkey equipped to do earthquake journalism.”
Prof. Dr. İrvan also stated that fake news negatively affects society during large-scale disasters, saying: “People do not always use social media responsibly. There were indeed people here who did not use it responsibly. Fake news spreads faster than real news. Therefore, information whose accuracy has not been checked should not be shared.” He thus emphasized the importance of correct information.
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan: “People take precautions as foreseen by the culture they live in”
Prof. Dr. Barış Erdoğan, emphasizing that the earthquake has profound effects on the social structure at both individual and institutional levels, said: “We will probably see that this earthquake will have significant effects on our institutional structures in the future. Earthquake sociology shapes societies' earthquake experiences by offering critical insights into the social dimensions of natural disasters. We will see that sociocultural and political factors will have major impacts on our institutional structures.”
Prof. Dr. Erdoğan underlined that people take precautions as foreseen by the culture they live in: “How we perceive the reality of an earthquake, how we manage it before and after a disaster, our perception of it, and our way of governing it are all shaped by the culture we live in, learn, and internalize. People take precautions as foreseen by the culture they live in. They develop consciousness, belief systems, and so on, according to that culture.”
Dr. Lecturer Meltem Narter: “It is necessary to separate disaster from trauma.”
Dr. Lecturer Meltem Narter, drawing attention to the importance of post-earthquake trauma, said: “It is necessary to separate disaster from trauma. You can be traumatized by anything. For example, you can cut your hand, burn yourself, or break a part of your body. These can also be traumas. Anything that disrupts your physical and psychological integrity can be trauma-inducing. How you cope with trauma is up to you and depends on whether you want to cope with it. When it comes to the societal dimension, sometimes societies also feed on traumas. Being together in trauma can be one of the important drivers of that society.”
The event concluded after participants' questions were answered.
Reporter: Eda Nur Keçeci / ÜHA
Photo: Mukadder Güneş / ÜHA
Photo: Zeynep Keçe / ÜHA