Infotainted infotainment

Advertising and political propaganda in the mass media are major factors in this mental pollution and intellectual vacuum. They produce social pressures that more positive influences from our family, peers and education can scarcely withstand. Certain centers use the media for misrepresentation, manipulation and psychological warfare for the sake of political status and domination, provoking psychological problems, deviations and polarization in society.

The mix of infotainment and misinformation has produced profound cynicism in society. There are many now who show no interest in social or political issues. They suspect they are being pressured into believing things that may not be accurate. They do not want to think about anything that may bother them, just so they feel good all the time. They hold that they live in a free society so they do not want any pressure from their peers or other groups. They ignore politicians and political issues in the media because they see both media and politicians as unable or unwilling to set rational and coherent policies. They see all political debates as devoid of intellectual honesty and ethics. In other words, part of the public responds to this environment with ignorance, apathy and lack of direction.

Fortunately, another part of the public sees this apathy as an escape from civic responsibility and refuses to accept it. To them this vacuum is far more harmful than any predicted environmental pollution. They see it as an escape from the age-old question of what it means to be a good person. These people are active in the public space and refuse to be deflected by trivia and misinformation.

And, of course, there are some people in between these two poles who remain very confused because the issues are often distorted by the manner in which they are conveyed, the debates are shaped by various influences and interests, and there are sharp divisions between policies and reality.

Simple examples can be given. Currently, media and public attention are very much engaged with Michael Jackson's death. This event has pushed aside almost all other issues and left them in its shadow. Large parts of the media have taken a break from covering the elections and protests in Iran. The Honduran coup and president's flight and plight have not come to an end but are scarcely discussed at all. While providing extensive coverage of the Jackson memorial ceremony, some CNN programs only gave President Obama's visit to Russia a passing mention, and even then it was to ask how Obama's daughters have been experiencing the visit.

I wonder how Jackson's death and funeral engage the Somali families fleeing conflict-ridden Mogadishu for the relatively safe city of Dusamareb? For Turks, which is more important, Jackson's funeral or President Gül's potential endorsement or veto of legislation to allow military personnel who have participated in coups d'etat to be tried in civilian courts? What about the 2 million children of American military personnel in dire need of psychological therapy because of their parents' deployment in war-ridden regions of the world? Who will provide psychological therapy to the families of British military personnel documented to have tortured, killed and mutilated Iraqi combatants? What do we know of the Turkish scientist who found that a tank full of chicken feathers provides a very economical alternative to millions of dollars worth of carbon nanotubes in hydrogen-driven cars? What can be done about the ongoing discord and violence between the Chinese authorities and ethnic groups in the region of Xinjiang?

We are human beings, we are social, and we cannot pursue a life in an intellectual, emotional and spiritual void. Whatever happens in one corner of the world can affect us and have an impact on our individual and collective lives. Yet, we cannot be omnipresent and we cannot be all-knowing and all-embracing. The providers of information and the public, too, need to recognize that our environment and conditions require us to be selective and to focus on limited issues. Then individual, local, regional issues and affinities can be successfully dealt with.

As to political matters, they are all multidimensional and require serious reflection and depth of knowledge about local and global issues. Short-term viewpoints and cynical and provocative journalistic approaches are not adequate or effective. Columnists can make real contributions to policy debates. However, policy matters and engagement with public affairs require balanced and thoroughgoing exploration of issues and a refusal to “dumb down” the debate. Otherwise, the contribution of journalists will simply reinforce the trivialization of public debate.