Billboard politics: The victory of image over truth

12punto Analysis

In Turkish politics, propaganda has long been conducted not just through words, but through images. Streets, squares, bridges, and overpasses are no longer just communication channels; they are direct "political showcases." The latest example of this occurred in Istanbul. Years after the "Thank You Istanbul" posters, which presented the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB)—lost in the 2019 elections—as if it had been won, a similar scene is repeating on the billboards at the İncirli Metrobus Station.

The slogan "If anyone can do it, the AK Party can" was placed on an overpass built by the İBB using its own resources, through the hands of trustees associated with the central government. The slogan has been one of the ruling party's most well-known brands for years; however, this time it has been pasted onto a municipal service like a "label."

This picture is a summary of the point politics has reached in Turkey:

It is no longer important who performs a service, but who "claims" it. It is not the truth itself, but the perception of it that wins.

Yet, the Istanbul example has shown time and again that the public can debunk such "visual illusions" at the ballot box. Because the city knows who did what, and who is merely putting their name on a sign.

These types of propaganda reflexes reflect a form of political communication that the government has turned into a habit: claiming the image instead of producing the truth. This mindset has also transformed the culture of politics. The race for service has been replaced by a "race for posters"; image has taken precedence over performance.

Today, politics in Turkey is, on one hand, in the midst of a great collapse. Institutional memory, political ethics, and the sense of responsibility toward the public are gradually eroding. Even though the public's will is sometimes attempted to be overshadowed on billboards or screens, the result does not change: The truth is, in the end, always bigger than the sign.

News Source: 12punto