Along with John Postill and Katrien Pype, I have become a convenor at the EASA Media Anthropology Network. Let’s see how it goes. I meant to contribute more for the next term, but John invited me in formally, and here I am.
The title is to get your attention; it took more than a day:) I could not figure out why and tried to fix it, but one day, I was signed off from my Google account. For many days, I had to log in every time I used Google services and all other services, such as … Read more
I want to tell you about a situation that frustrated me. Recently, at a jury meeting, I came across a well-known, well-connected, and rich communicator in the telecommunications industry. When 5G was mentioned, he said something like this. “I was at a huge 5G summit abroad at the beginning of the pandemic. I hung out … Read more
Sena and I produced a piece we had worked on before into publishable material. It portrays AI in newsrooms just before the rise of Generative AI. You can read the pre-print version here. Here is the abstract for Azimli, S. O., & Saka, E. (2024). Automated Journalism in Turkish Media Before the Rise of Generative … Read more
I sometimes wonder about the decision-making process at Foursquare HQ. Recently, I saw that Foursquare is killing its city guide app to focus on the check-in app Swarm and wondered again. A decade ago, they killed their very successful app to promote their check-in app, Swarm. They now decided to kill the app totally and focus on Swarm—such … Read more
I have been honored to be a member of the EASA Media Anthropology Network from the outset. Our mailing list has hosted tens of e-seminars throughout the last 20 years. Currently, network members discuss the 20 years, and here is my contribution: On the 20th anniversary of Media Anthropology Network I was a graduate … Read more
After a long self-exile in the US, pro-Gülenists sources stated that Fethullah Gülen was dead. His massive global movement has already been crushed in the post-2016 coup attempt. Still, there are many followers all around the world. If his movement did not get in a fight with Erdoğan, his funeral would be greeted by millions. … Read more
I was invited to a talk at Fatih Municipality: Prof. Dr. Erkan Saka talked about the transformative effect of artificial intelligence technologies on individuals and the importance of artificial intelligence literacy in the “Artificial Intelligence Talks” program held at Neslişah Sultan Cultural Center. link I commented on “social media addiction” and proposed media literacy, etc … Read more
Today, I had the privilege of speaking at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s (FNF) Capacity Building Program in beautiful Bodrum, Turkey. The program, titled “Strengthening and Innovating the Future of Civil Society in an Evolving World,” brought together civil society leaders, academics, and innovators to explore how we can adapt and thrive in our rapidly changing … Read more
It has passed 250 million views now! You can see the rest in my Google Maps, but let me share the most viewed one:
I arrived in Vilnius yesterday to attend a workshop for the COST GRADE project. A little walking around led me to Level 9 on Google Maps. It’s a pretty city. I could not make it, but there are many walking tours. I recommend. I saw many groups walking around. And now the workshop starts. I am in … Read more
I was honored to be part of the opening speeches at Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024. The meeting started today. Wikimedia CEE Meeting 2024 (#WMCEE) is an annual conference centered on Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia and other related projects) in countries of Central and Eastern Europe (more recently, also in Central Asia). It features presentations on Wikimedia projects, other wikis, … Read more
Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center organized another regional workshop, and I was happy to participate. I talked about elections and AI interferences. My main point is that concerns over AI interference are overblown at the moment, but there is a potential for growing interference in the future. The program included many experts and decision-makers in the … Read more
I am writing while we wait for our flight to Istanbul. It is the end of our month-long US trip. I want to list a few apps or services I used during the trip. Nothing too unfamiliar, though! I thank Booking.com. As you might know, Booking.com is not very useful for Turkish users in … Read more
Our long-awaited one-month trip to the US begins now. The plane takes off in an hour. We have a relatively flexible plan. Chilling out more than a frenzy of sightseeing in our minds- Well, Sinem is definitely in that mode. I am thinking of my Google Maps saved list.