Don't run from 'bad news': Fake diplomas are real

The tendency to "avoid bad news" is increasing both globally and in Turkey. Avoiding bad news is a structural problem that cannot be explained solely by individual psychology; it is a trend that is quietly hollowing out political economy. Economic and political crises, war, earthquakes, fires, poverty, corruption, fraud, social decay… All these topics are no longer just information, but also producers of emotion, and a "reality fatigue" is forming in society. Along with the news, the individual is exposed not only to information but also to anxiety. That is why they change the screen, mute, or scroll away. The human mind cannot constantly cope with the perception of threat. But the problem does not end there. This psychological defense reflex is becoming systematic with the encouragement of algorithms. Political power, meanwhile, shapes, times, or silences information to avoid political costs. The political power's tendency not to deliver "bad news" is not just a communication error, but a form of structural manipulation and a choice. Concealing the truth is a strategy to maintain the power's legitimacy. Hiding bad news from the public turns information and news into a strategic tool of power, stripping them of their status as a "common public value."

The Reuters Institute's 2024 Digital News Report showed that the rate of disinterest in news in Turkey has reached 57%. In Turkey, 72% of social media users state that they "consciously ignore" news content. 63% of Instagram users actively use "personalization" tools to restrict or mute their news feeds. On TikTok, the average engagement rate of users aged 18–24 in Turkey with news content is only 9% of that of entertainment content. Twitter (X) saw an average of 2.5 million tweets containing political hashtags per day from Turkey during the 2023 election process, but 70% of the interactions revolved around only 10 hashtags.

REALITY DOES NOT DISAPPEAR, IT IS SCROLLED AWAY

News censorship no longer comes only from political power. In today's world, not seeing the news is often more effective than suppressing it. Social media both facilitates this state of "not seeing" and makes "bad news" invisible. At this point, the tendency to avoid bad news and the commercial and technological logic of social media go hand in hand.

As reality becomes exhausting, the system makes it invisible. One consciously suppresses it, the other silently filters it. The result is a society that feels as if "everything is fine" but lives within deep instability and problems.

Platforms like Instagram and TikTok analyze the content users interact with and prioritize relaxing, entertaining, and emotionally charged content for them. In other words, algorithms shape not only what we watch but also what we care about. So, even if you are not aware of it, you are within a system that does not show "bad news." For example, in a study conducted in 2024, 72% of users in Turkey stated that they "do not want to see news" on social media. This preference is quickly perceived by algorithms, and feeds are silently changed.

So what happens? We are in the midst of an economic crisis, unemployment, and social injustice, but we spend our time with 15-second food videos, personal development motivations, or reels explaining the meaning of life. We constantly scroll the screen to distracting content. A trend is emerging where heavy issues like economic and political crises are neutralized by being "meme-ified." Social crises and problems are tabloidized with a focus on engagement. As a social media behavior, consciously staying away from reading or watching news on the grounds that "there is too much bad news" also erodes society's ability to produce collective reactions.

As a result, social media algorithms work in perfect harmony with the emotional avoidance mechanisms that individuals develop to cope with bad news. Algorithms say, "I will show you whatever you want," and the more we run from reality, the more comfortable we feel. But let us not forget: What we do not see does not disappear. The voices we mute point to a socio-economic plane where the public is eventually isolated and exposed to more propaganda than solutions. To delayed reactions, deepening crises, and social decay. Yet, in times when we "cannot be managed," the most valuable resource is the truth. But that truth does not just go silent when you cover it up. On the contrary, every suppressed truth, every delayed reaction makes crises and social problems more complex and more permanent. The problem does not disappear when the individual avoids the news, nor when the system and social media hide the bad news. For example, non-existent diplomas, fake diplomas, cancelled diplomas, diplomas obtained through bribery; those who remain unemployed despite their real diplomas and those who are eliminated in interviews are, yes, bad news. These are truths that have been rendered invisible and ignored for many years, with devastating social consequences. In short, there is no such thing as "bad news"; there are "socially bad realities" of a system based on exploitation.