Two new reports tell a similar story about democratic decline inside “the Western alliance”. One tracks the steep fall of academic freedom in the United States. The other shows Turkey sinking to the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index. Together, they suggest that NATO’s “allies” are increasingly aligned militarily, but drifting away from any … Read more
Seismic Shift in Datacenter Industry – The datacenter industry is undergoing rapid changes, influenced heavily by the rise of AI technology. – Meta’s construction of a datacenter in Temple, Texas, was abruptly halted, indicating a shift toward new AI requirements. – Traditional datacenters are evolving into AI supercomputers, affecting design, power needs, and operational … Read more
“There Is No Neutral Machine: The Necessary Contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities to AI” Keynote Speech — Erkan Saka Critical AI Studies Conference, Istanbul Bilgi University, 9 May 2026 [Formatted by using Claude.ai] To understand AI, we must stop treating it as a purely technical or mathematical achievement. And to explain why this matters, … Read more
I guess I am getting nostalgic. I have started watching my childhood favorite TV show, Knight Rider. It took decades to have self-driving cars. Contemporary critical reception Many mainstream TV critics in the 1980s dismissed Knight Rider as shallow and gimmicky.[2][1] Reviews often called it “silly,” “juvenile,” or “trash TV,” focusing on the implausible talking … Read more
Facebook’s Marketplace Growth Massive User Base: Since its launch in 2016, Facebook Marketplace has attracted 1.1 billion users across 70 countries, making it one of the largest platforms for secondhand sales, alongside eBay and Craigslist. Engagement Strategy: Despite declining usage among younger demographics, Marketplace remains a key engagement tool, with many users logging in … Read more
Yesterday I met a guy whom I last saw more than 10 years ago. He seems to be doing very well in video-making for advertising purposes. But I admired his excitement about an undersea documentary he wants to make in the Bosphorus. He even bought a boat for this. Let’s see how it goes. There … Read more
Whose Truth Gets Optimized? AI and the New Epistemic Order This is an edited version of my keynote talk delivered at the IV. International Communication, Digitalization and Society Symposium (ICDS), Istanbul Aydın University, April 28, 2026. The theme of this year’s ICDS symposium — Truth in an Optimized Society: From Democracy to Infocracy — is … Read more
Key Insights by Merlin AI Historical Significance of Outlook – Microsoft Outlook has been a cornerstone of professional communication since its launch, with over 450 million users in 2024. – It integrated email, calendar, contacts, and task management, becoming essential for various organizations, including hospitals and government entities. – By the 2010s, Outlook … Read more
I attended the Artificial Intelligence, Manipulation, and Media Literacy Summit in Cyprus yesterday. Session 3 was in a question-and-answer format, which I prefer to just speaking. I asked Claude.ai to format my answers. I have to highlight that this formatting misses the anecdotes and lively occasions. Well, those who attend get the benefits. Still, for … Read more
Key Insights by Merlin AI Google Maps Evolution – Google has been mapping the world for over 20 years, launching its Street View feature in 2007. – Initial camera systems were bulky, weighing up to 500 pounds, but have since evolved to lighter, more versatile models used on various vehicles including backpacks and even … Read more
I believe she will regret this. After all those years of membership negotiations with the country, her rotten conscience cannot accept Türkiye as part of Europe. Maybe that’s a good thing for Turks, I don’t know. Like Biden, her outdated political standing cannot adapt to the changing geopolitics. The biggest security crisis now comes from … Read more
Here is a report from Euronews: EU population to fall by 12% by 2100: Which countries will decline the most? EU Population Decline to 2100 Overall Projection EU population falls from 452M to 399M (−11.7%) between 2025–2100 18 of 30 European countries will shrink; 12 will grow Countries with Largest Declines >30%: Latvia (−33.9%), Lithuania (−33.4%), … Read more
Palantir occupies a more extreme place in Silicon Valley but represents a new, growing ethos Big Tech is developing. We have seen the company’s official X message today. A few early comments: This is the nationalist turn. Big Tech now explicitly acts as an agent of a nation-state, which in turn justifies its regulations worldwide. … Read more
I recently visited Müzeverse at Galataport, İstanbul. Müzeverse is a location‑based virtual reality (VR) museum in Istanbul that offers large‑scale, immersive historical experiences and markets itself as Türkiye’s first dedicated VR museum.[1][2][3] Although I believe in the potential of VR, I find it a bit impractical. However, in our 45-minute tour of ancient Egypt, I was … Read more
The history of music videos is not just an artistic evolution but a history of media infrastructures shaping how music is seen, circulated, and monetized. Origins of the Music Video The concept of combining film and music predates modern music videos, with early experiments dating back to 1894, exemplified by George Thomas’s “The Little … Read more