“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
My TV Turkish Serials Subreddit receives more than 95 thousand visits weekly, and my colleague Alper Kırklar and I decided to curate an edited volume on Turkish Television Series. The series’ global attraction is definitely unintended, but all over the world, I come across people asking me about a particular Turkish series. So here we … Read more
Here comes the new episode for Thoughts on academic life There has always been self‑promotion in academia. People mailed offprints, boasted about books, dropped famous names at dinner. But the contemporary landscape is qualitatively different: platformized, metricized, gamified.[6][8] Academics now operate across multiple, interconnected arenas: Citation and profile platforms: Google Scholar, Scopus IDs, ORCID, ResearchGate, … Read more
Key Insights by Merlin AI HISTORY OF TED TED was co-founded in 1984 by Richard Saul Worman and Harry Markx, initially as a conference focused on technology, entertainment, and design. The first TED conference featured groundbreaking demonstrations, such as early compact discs and Apple Macintosh presentations, but faced financial challenges, leading to a six-year hiatus. … Read more
Key Insights by [Merlin AI](https://merlin.foyer.work/) Impact of AI on Employment Opportunities – The unemployment rate for recent college graduates (ages 22-27) has risen to 5.8%, nearly double the rate for older workers with degrees. – Industries like finance and insurance have seen a 14% drop in youth employment between 2010 and 2024, reducing job opportunities … Read more
A new session of accreditation in our campus is up. That means we will compile strategic plans, assessment reports, learning outcome documentation, meeting minutes, curriculum maps, faculty CVs formatted according to specific templates, evidence of “continuous improvement,” proof of “stakeholder engagement,” and spreadsheets demonstrating “alignment” between course objectives and program outcomes. The process consumes dozens … Read more
Drop me a line if you are having difficulty finding the readings (erkan.saka@bilgi.edu.tr) This is my signature course in which we work on new readings but also new book projects here at İstanbul Bilgi University. COMM 720-2026 Syllabus Course Name Theories of New Media Lecturer Prof. Erkan Saka (erkan.saka@bilgi.edu.tr) Description On Mondays, 19:00-22:00 E4 Publica … Read more
Episode 7: “Projecilik”—When Funding Becomes the Product I was recently at an academic conference when a colleague introduced herself: “I’m working on a TÜBİTAK-funded project on digital literacy.” Not “I’m researching digital literacy.” Not “I’m studying how social media affects learning.” No—the funded project itself was the primary credential, the opening gambit, the thing most … Read more
I see people sharing tools to help you find the best-fitting journal for your manuscript if you don’t already have one in mind. Choosing the right journal is as important as writing the paper itself—these tools make that decision far easier. I have curated a list for you. General‑purpose and major publisher tools Elsevier Journal … Read more
Before I moved to the US for my doctoral studies, I had worked as a TA at İstanbul Bilgi University. I assisted Prof Avcı’s introduction to media courses. Nabi Avcı was involved in politics and later served as Turkey’s minister of education and then of culture. I had the opportunity to get in touch with … Read more
Episode 3- The Q1 Journal Fetish Episode 4- The Administrator Problem Episode 5- The University Rankings Game With no public debate or academic consensus, Türkiye’s Higher Education Council (YÖK) decided to reduce undergraduate education to 3 years. YÖK is so powerful that no university administration can challenge its decisions. YÖK can easily stop a university’s existence. I have … Read more
An X user shared a scholarship database: Download and Save this PDF if you are looking for a scholarship in 2026. It contains more than 200 different scholarships from countries like the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, European countries, and others. Here is the link for the database.
As of 11 January 2026, curated by ChatGPT Agent. I hope this helps. The table below summarizes the services that offer completely free or discounted plans for people who register with a verified student/faculty email address (usually .edu) or pass SheerID-like verifications. Each service is accompanied by a list of benefits, eligibility requirements and important … Read more
As I prepare for the next semester, I listed all the publications and projects our current students have. In the end, you can also see the Google Scholar accounts of our graduates. This is my third year as the program director, and I believe we will rotate this position, but I will continue to teach … Read more
After three weeks, I can finally rest on a Saturday, which still includes the embarrassingly dirty car getting washed, which in turn contributes more to Google Maps by trying a different mall. The highlight of the week was a training session at the Anadolu Agency ,which is reported here in English. The week included … Read more