The Post-Digital Age and Artificial Intelligence: To adapt or not to adapt to social transformations?

The post-digital age, as the name suggests, defines a period in which digital technologies have become an ordinary reality. The digital has permeated every aspect of our lives and has become a natural environment. In this era, digital technologies are no longer just an innovation, but an inseparable part of social structures and individual identities. First coined by digital culture researchers in the late 2000s, this concept emphasizes how the digital has ceased to be merely a tool and has instead woven itself into the fabric of social, cultural, and economic processes.

I remember it very well. In the 1990s, a famous communicator and one of our professors said this to me during a conversation: “You tell me that using a computer will make writing much easier, that I can easily correct misspelled words on the keyboard, but when I write on a typewriter and make a mistake, I like to take that paper out, tear it up, and start over. It makes me creative,” he said. At the point we have reached today, it does not even cross our minds that a typewriter could be used for writing and that this could enhance our creativity. Instead, we speak our words into the microphone of our smartphone and watch them appear on the screen.

This is one of the most distinct and relatable indicators of what we are experiencing in the post-digital age.

For example, social media is no longer just a communication platform; it has become a ground where identities are displayed, social relationships are redefined, and even political movements are organized. The lines between the virtual and physical worlds have blurred, and these two dimensions have entered into a relationship that constantly redefines one another.

However, the most striking feature of the post-digital age is that technology has become invisible. The algorithms, artificial intelligence systems, and digital networks around us shape our daily lives even when we are unaware of it. It is precisely at this point that artificial intelligence steps in, reconfiguring the relationships between society, culture, and media. On this subject, the famous quote by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, whom I love very much and whose books I have all read, explains our current point very well: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

The Exponential Development of Technology and the Rise of Artificial Intelligence

The technology closest to being magic appears to be artificial intelligence. The 21st century is a period in which technology is not only developing but also advancing at an exponential speed. The doubling of microprocessor speeds every two years, as expressed by Moore's Law, has shown its effect not only in the field of hardware but also in many areas such as data science, software, internet infrastructure, and artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence is one of the most notable and popular elements of this development. Today, artificial intelligence is used in a wide range of applications, from facial recognition technologies to health diagnostic systems, from creative content production to virtual assistants that facilitate our daily lives. This is fundamentally transforming how not only individuals but also social institutions operate.

The impact of AI is not limited to technology; it also signals a major change in the social and cultural context. AI-powered algorithms shape the content we see on social media, analyze our consumption habits, and can even influence political preferences. In this context, the media environment of the post-digital age is becoming a reality that is almost invisibly guided by artificial intelligence.

Artificial Intelligence from the Perspective of Society and Media

In the post-digital age, the power of artificial intelligence stems not only from its data processing capacity but also from its ability to produce social and cultural meanings. To give an example, the exhibition of artistic works created by artificial intelligence in recent years or its entry into creative fields such as copywriting causes us to question the definition of cultural production. Humanity has long viewed creativity as a uniquely human trait; however, artificial intelligence is reshaping these boundaries.

In the context of media, artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly central role in the production and distribution of news. For instance, algorithms now determine which news is presented as a priority, and some news content is even written entirely by artificial intelligence. This raises new questions regarding media ethics and reliability.

Living in the post-digital age, we must recognize the invisible effects of technology and critically evaluate the impact of revolutionary tools like artificial intelligence on culture, society, and the media. In this era, technology has become not a complement to the human experience, but a creative force of it. However, this transformation brings with it not only opportunities but also serious ethical, political, and sociocultural responsibilities.

Today, while discussing social, cultural, and media transformations, I invite you to deeply understand the role of artificial intelligence in this process and to ask new questions about how we will direct this power that shapes our future.

Because almost all the information humanity has produced to date is now recorded on the Internet. In other words, the answers are out there somewhere.

And now, in the post-digital age, what matters is being able to ask the right questions. It is no longer about producing information, but about asking the right questions to extract the useful knowledge we need from this massive pile we call big data.