Social media, the boundless medium

Social media... It is today's indispensable passion, especially after smartphones entered our lives. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok... For some of us, it is essential. Some use it commercially, some for lynching. Others use it to express their troubles. In other words, social media is actually a boundless medium. Fraud is committed, mediation is provided. It makes politicians take a step back, and it creates public opinion that leads to detentions. So, it depends on what you use it for.

Of course, the best part is the posts that bring us together. I experienced an example of this last week. I first saw that video in a post by retired police officer Ali Bayram. Afterwards, the same posts were shared by the accounts of Zeki Kılınç, İsmail Okumuş, and Bombacı Mülayim, and later by journalists, lawyers, and everyone else. In short, it started appearing on all social media platforms in a very short time. When I watched that video and confirmed its authenticity, I shared it too.

Don't worry, I will explain that video. Although, you have surely watched it, been moved, and made a donation. That video post, which deeply affected me as well, belonged to Gendarmerie Major Ergin Kupan. Our commander Ergin was saying the following in the video he shared...

"Hello, I am Gendarmerie Major Ergin Kupan. But I am speaking to you as the father of Parla Kupan, who has SMA Type 1 muscle disease. My daughter Parla has mutated SMA Type 1 muscle disease. And we are the 8 people in the world diagnosed with this muscle disease. I have fought for these lands for 27 years. My current fight is for my daughter Parla."

This video went viral in a short time. Everyone was sharing IBAN accounts along with this video. Once there was interaction, it caught the attention of internet news, TV news, and newspapers, and it was reported. What was the result? Turkey became one again. It became united. It joined the voice of our Commander Ergin. To be a remedy for Parla, everyone sent donations to the provided IBAN according to their own budget. The 100 percent of the money, of which only 28 percent had been collected before social media, was raised in just one day. It is easy to say, nearly 2 million dollars. Later, the details emerged.

It turned out that the illness of Parla, who was born in May to kindergarten teacher Gülşah Kupan and Major Ergin Kupan, had not been noticed for 4 months. The costs for baby Parla, who was diagnosed with SMA Type 1, were approximately 2 million dollars abroad. When the family could not afford this money, they started a fundraising campaign in November with the approval of the İzmir Governorship. Only 28 percent had been collected. The Kupan family wanted to raise the money as soon as possible. That is when, on January 6, 2024, Major Ergin Kupan made that video post.

Yes, we said social media is a boundless medium. Sometimes we saw the cry of a woman who was subjected to violence and asked for help. Sometimes we saw lynch-mob posts based on perception. Sometimes we saw our happiness. In other words, we share what we want, and we see what we want to see. Sometimes we get angry. Sometimes we get furious. Yet, when used in the right direction, it has so many benefits. Social media is more effective than a television news report, a newspaper article, or even internet news. As in the case of baby Parla, for help during an earthquake, or in the cry of a woman subjected to violence, positive results can be achieved because the interaction is very high when social media is used in the right direction. Of course, there are also those with bad intentions. We asked IT lawyer Ümit Karadağ about social media.

Karadağ said, "Social media platforms now create great impacts by bringing collective interaction with them. So much so that even protests made through social media can produce results and ensure the realization of many phenomena. For example, as we have frequently encountered recently; in a judicial case, the public reaction created by people who react to a suspect being released on social media can even ensure that judicial authorities review their decisions. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that the internet environment provides unlimited opportunities for good or bad use depending on the intention of social media users. Especially recently, actions such as fraud by malicious users have become quite widespread. In this sense, it is clear that internet users need to be very careful. It is clearly seen from the events that fraudsters professionally use these technologies within the framework of their own special plots every passing day. Against these malicious users, users should especially create strong passwords, act cautiously in terms of cybersecurity, and users who do not know the necessary precautions should carefully follow the warnings on this subject. As we mentioned, the form and method of misuse can change every day.

In this period when technology and artificial intelligence are developing at an unimaginable speed, criminals are also following these developments at the same speed. They are trying to use these developments effectively while committing crimes. Applications to judicial authorities show that there are significant increases in many types of crimes, especially misuse and fraud in terms of cybercrimes. I believe that the most effective way to prevent these crimes is to raise public awareness through public service announcements. In fact, it is clear that effective combat against cybercrimes can be carried out by conducting this awareness-raising especially through social media again."