Newly released: Open educational materials for “Sustainability, circular economy, and creative computing”

I was also part of the preparation. Introduction Why did we create this material? Currently, there is an increasing concern about sustainability and robustness of complex infrastructures upon which many of our day-to-day activities depend. In the European Union, the term circular economy is a well-established element of the European Green Deal, describing a transformation … Read more

Unboxing/Unpacking a personal history

I am feeling strong doses of nostalgia after taking my personal belongings from my parents’ storage place. Like many families in İstanbul, my parents finally decided to move away from their apartments because of the expected major earthquake. Istanbul is in a frenzy of urban renewal, and the building they lived in for 45 years … Read more

I am very pleased to announce my edited volume: “Understanding Generative AI in a Cultural Context”

This begins a series of edited volumes with my doctoral students and a wider community of scholars I work with. We are already working on a new title, but this is the first cherished one! I have uploaded the preface and extended content to Academia.edu. The official site here, I case you would like to … Read more

A presentation in İzmir; AI powered smart city applications

I was in İzmir today and will fly back to İstanbul in an hour. -in fact, I already flew- It was an opportunity to think about AI-powered smart city cases and data politics in general. In the end, I summarize my presentation. İzmir Planning Office (an entity officially affiliated with İzmir municipality) organized the event. … Read more

Instead of Gaziantep you can try Kars for a foody weekend

We have just returned from our Kars trip. Besides meeting very nice, hospitable people and visiting historical sites, I realize that Kars may rival Gaziantep. Many friends fly to Gaziantep for a weekend food fest, but why not spend some time in Kars? My top four were: Sarı Balık The Yellow Carp, also known as … Read more

My comments included in this Carnegie piece: “Understanding the Information Environment: Insights from the Majority World”

Understanding the Information Environment: Insights from the Majority World Researchers around the world address shortcomings and provide recommendations on Global North approaches to research and policymaking. by Samantha Lai Published on December 12, 2024 Global North actors often research and shape the information ecosystems of the Majority World1—for example, by studying influence operations that target Majority … Read more

In Kars for a few days!

We, Sinem and I, have decided to celebrate the second anniversary of our marriage in Kars. Kars sounds magical, especially in winter. I have had my eyes on Kars since reading Orhan Pamuk’s Snow, which takes place in Kars. So far, Kars did not disappoint us at all, even though there is no snow! We … Read more

About last week! One of the busiest weeks this year

While the house of Asad collapsed, I may have had the busiest week. This semester, I have two undergraduate courses and, some weeks, a doctoral seminar on Mondays. After a busy day and an online interview on AI and society, I was ready for the Tuesday event. German, Dutch, and Swedish consulates celebrate Human Rights … Read more

It is out! I will be visiting Munich as a fellow in January 2025

Visiting fellows lists at CAS can be found here. I will visit Munich as a fellow in January 2025, and Sinem will accompany me. Our Research group led by Prof. Udupa: Below the Radar? Messaging Apps, Encryption and the Enticement of Extreme Speech Online extreme speech and disinformation have emerged as a major problem for … Read more

A special video at SosyalKafa. “The Story of Espressolab with Esat Kocadağ”

The video is in Turkish, but here are key timestamps linked to significant moments in the video: 00:00:01 – Introduction to Esat Kocadağ and the Origin of Espressolab 00:00:32 – Esat’s Early Journey and Connection to Coffee 00:01:35 – Opening the First Espressolab Store 00:04:30 – Transition from Hobby to Business Expansion 00:06:20 – International … Read more

Bluesky or Mastodon?

It is a pity that Mastodon is not mentioned at all during the current hype for Bluesky. After the last American election, Bluesky has a real chance of taking off. I have created a list of Fact-Checkers and Global Voices Community members who are moving to Bluesky en masse. Turkish users seem to prefer Bluesky … Read more

I am now a co-convenor of Media Anthropology Network

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 day I left Google Chrome and Google Search

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

A frustrating moment with a communicator [5G and Covid]

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

A book chapter I co-authored: “Automated Journalism in Turkish Media Before the Rise of Generative AI”

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