| N. NİSA BAYRAMOĞLU |
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The Pover Of Knowledge And The Media |
Sokrates; "iyi olan tek şey bilgi, kötü olan tek şey bilgisizliktir" demiştir, insanın insan olma bilincinin, kişi olma sorumluluğunun etik bir alan olarak temelini atmıştır. İnsan olma bilincine ve kişi olma sorumluluğuna sahip, derinliğine düşünebilen insan, hem çalışmalarında hem yaşantısının diğer alanlarında önyargılardan uzak durma gayreti içinde olan, sezgileri kuvvetli, içinde yaşadığı çevrenin inançlarını tutkularını ve alışkanlıklarını sorgulayabilen, erdemli ve mutlu yaşamı amaçlayan kişidir.
*Knowledge for Aristotle is knowledge of the whole, of form, and consists in an appreciation of the special affinities between wholes.
It has been said by Farabi and Mevlana that "the greatest virtue is knowledge, wisdom. Knowledge is a boundless sea without shores. Correct learning is the foundation of human life".
*There are different ways of acquiring knowledge, as there are ways of the world changing by the use of knowledge. More particularly, in our own times, by means of the progress of science and technology, man is capable of acquiring it in a great many fields with incredible speed and dimension. A thinking individual collects knowledge, acquires technological infrastructures, takes photographs of life and death from above, and asks questions.
An Overall Review of Things: The skill with which nature, with dynamism and a duration which is due to the maintenance of balances between particularities continues its task can also be seen in other areas, for example in our social life. In advanced societies, facts are the object of reflection, the cause and effect relation is investigated, and in the light of the results, the individual determines his behaviour.
An overall review of things is a dialectical approach in the light of such questions as 'Why does this happen? How does it happen? If this happens, what will it cause or what will it not cause?' This approach makes it possible for the individual be able to aware of, to observe. In life, everything is bound up with what is in front, behind, above, below, to the right and left of it. Every event with which we are faced is an effect which has a cause and a background. Political and social events have to be analysed on the precondition that their background and what the things, factors behind are taken into account.
If there is no overall review of things, what is happening in one's environment cannot be understood, the meaning of the conclusion which is drawn cannot be analysed correctly, or does not become intelligible or leads to erroneous evaluations and views.
Morality: This matter also has a moral dimension. Why is morality necessary? Why is it important? The might of technology, of the business world, of the mass media in determining the way of life every day which passes has led to globalisation. Those who work in these spheres, by their decisions, direct and shape society. We have realised that decisions taken in the right direction can have a positive influence on millions of people and that mistaken decisions can threaten our future.
*Moral rules in reality are the commitments of conscience of each individual.
Love and Understanding: "Knowledge is the dough of love and of the effort which has been baked in the oven. Any attempt to separate love from knowledge, knowledge from love is tantamount to striking out compassion from the heart. A world without love brings to mind a world where the intelligence does not dominate."
*As to understanding, tolerance, Mevlana, who attached as much value to the love of man as anyone has ever done, declares that "understanding is like the sea", while Voltaire, in saying that understanding is the necessary criterion which will make us realise that we are people who make mistakes, calls upon intellectuals to be straightforward. John Locke says that understanding is precondition of lasting peaceful and serene living by societies. If people have a knowledge of their own defects and failings, they will more easily forgive the defects and the failings of others, the virtue of understanding will become their possession, the foundations of love will be laid, and the media will contribute greatly to the world's happiness.
What Knowledge Is? Foundation for a rational decision is correct and adequate information. Knowledge is a conception which is shaped by data and information relating to a specific situation, problem, relationship, theory or rule. Knowledge is intellectual activity of any kind which through a series of perceptions, conceptions and generalisations which we apply in order to interpret the world, to manage events, and to give us a strong capacity for appreciating and shaping a view.
*In order to solve the problems which are related to the reality of life, the necessity of knowledge must, to begin with, be established, the problems must be typified and knowledge must be sought, on the basis, now, of the use of the computer; internet, satellite and other technologies, different sources of knowledge must be found, be identified, approached and used. Access to knowledge is needed, togther with its classification, organisation, analysis, and assessment, the interpretation, presentation and integration of it into already existent knowledge, its use in critical thought and the solving of problems, the handing on of knowledge, the ensuring of a constant supply of knowledge, an improvement of the strategy for successful investigations as to when and how knowledge will be acquired, the collection and storage of the material, an understanding of the moral, legal, and socio-political dimension, and a prudent use of knowledge and technology.
An Age of Knowledge or Information: The concept of an age of knowledge or information is used to connote the period in which a primary role is played by knowledge in the acquisition of property. Thus the place of material capital has been taken by the capital of knowledge. This capital, which, by reason of its structure, knows no frontiers, has changed all the relations between administration and society.
*In our age, the greatest change has taken place in the field of communication; knowledge, information and signals are disseminated throughout the world with a speed which was absent in other periods of history. Globalisation has affected our lives in a profound and overwhelming manner. In the times in which we live, the concept of knowledge appears before us with a new meaning and content. The development of new technologies, changes in needs, the need of a constantly increasing population to acquire knowledge has brought to centre stage the issue of the use, of the management of knowledge and of information systems. This trend throughout the world has been designated as the transition to the knowledge society.
*Man in the society of knowledge is obliged to set in motion the power of knowledge and to benefit from this source in the most appropriate manner. The mass media, which boost political and social mobility, have played a leading role in the unification of many societies and have marked in advanced countries the coming of the information society.
The mass media form a part of the sub-systems of the complicated social system of modern societies. They work as a whole, as a living, widespread organism. Each feature of this organism is bound up with the rest. The media are, to a large degree, what the past, civilisation and a country's economy has dictated, what those who take decisions, consumers and citizens want, and their actions are within this framework.
*At the same time, when the issue is ethics in the media, their triple structure has to be taken into account. The fact that a media is at the same time an industrial agency for the supply of information and also a political agency contributes to the shaping of a clouded state of affairs in the media and many of their problems stem precisely from this murky state of affairs.
*Certainly, the greater sources of financing the media have, the better the services with which they are able to supply the people. But they can also damage the public interest. By the setting up of groups of media owners, a handful of people have acquired political power and have departed from the original aim, which is to supply people with knowledge. These people, who have responsibilities only towards the shareholder – in reality – towards major economic organisations, decide upon which events are to be made known and which are not and have the power to decide on what is going on in the world.
*Who in the contemporary world is in a position to examine this dimension of the mass media? Since everybody thinks that the media possess great power, left and right, north and south, the powerful and the weak, the old and the young consider the mass media responsible for many troubles in our society.
Directing Power of the Media and Disinformation: In the 2000s through which we are passing, the power of knowledge undoubtedly has taken on a particular weight of importance. In our times, which are called the 'era of knowledge', those societies which possess and produce knowledge are reckoned to be superior.
*The media have the power to influence and to change the behaviours of individuals. In our times, the fact that the media influence societies in a positive or negative direction is beyond all dispute. The media hold a position which dominates the intellectual life of modern societies. In spite of the fact that the media have taken on roles in matters such as the solving of national and international problems, the educating and informing of society, the development of civilisation, healthy communication between peopler, peace, quiet and the ensuring of a more humane order of things, it is observable that many media do not apply the rules of ethics; on the contrary, they are the source of many social problems.
*The power of direction which the media possess; those media which need immediate, rapid access to the source for the information to reach the masses are in a position to shape the information within the framework of their own process of providing knowledge and of bringing out a product of perhaps debatable or dubious accuracy. *The role of the media both from a professional and an ethical point of view is to provide knowledge and news. When this role, instead of being one of supplying knowledge and news, declines into the shaping of a line to be followed, then the media deviate from the observance of the professional and moral rules.
Above all when, in order to direct individuals and societies, instead of news they provide propaganda, instead of the public interest they uphold personal interests, and on the altar of these interests misinform, they play an entirely immoral and erroneous role.
*The media are capable of becoming the 'No. 1' source of disinformation. In the information era, people do not merely acquire knowledge, they are subject to a bombardment of knowledge. Knowledge which is produced by television, radio, newspapers, books and magazines is only a small part of a whole which is set up, perhaps deliberately, in order to conceal the reality. This by no means negligible part of total knowledge which is finally transmitted, deliberately or otherwise, can mislead the reader/viewer.
*The elite of the media, which also includes editors and journalists of acknowledged authority, has been transformed into one of the most important focuses of power. With the power which they have acquired, the media can not only influence people, but have become the means by which they can change man. Their influence is not confined only to individuals, but is also apparent in societies.
The media have the power and ability to to re-create the establishment, to reshape, to re-produce and to interpret the relations between individuals and society. It is recognised that the media shape awareness, tastes and preferences. But this shaping, this alteration is not confined only to influence upon private individuals and by extension the whole of society. There can be implications also in the direction of individuals with influence in the political process, political leaders and lawful governments. *Certainly, no one can call into question the contribution of the services of the media in the field of communication. But these media which provide mankind with so great a service can be converted into a particularly drastic means of propaganda, even into a powerful weapon for the brainwashing of the masses.
The owners of the media, the individuals or the groups which control them are able at will or according to their interests to falsify news and information. Thus they are able to reach a point of monopolising the shaping of views, thoughts, and the meanings which people give to things. The media can exploit culture, and bring about cultural assimilation. To an even greater extent, they can be used by certain forces to alter national identity, to breach national unity and concord, and the atmosphere of calm and peace with a view to dragging the people down into chaos and upheaval.
*Potentially, the media have a major influence at least upon people's emotions, thoughts and beliefs. And it can be concluded that they have the power to affect their attitude and behaviour. The change which results can be positive, but it can also be negative. This situation is a function of various factors which differ from society to society or even within the same society, depending upon the period.
*In parallel with the conditions of the society to which the media address themselves, there is also the influence of the behaviour and attitude of the powers which control the media. Particularly when the control of the media is in the hands of specific centers or in the hands of a limited number of centres of power, the products of the media are undoubtedly under the control of these centres, a fact which guarantees that in the stages which follow the power of the specific centres will increase. The view has been expressed by some that in the media which are in this condition, the centres of power, by strengthening and spreading social norms and values, play a strategic role in the legitimation of the social system.
*The regime of ownership and the control of the media are two important issues. These two factors, ownership and control, also influence the political ideology of the products of the media. If the economic parameter of the issue is taken into account as a priority, the reality of monopoly in the media will emerge to the forefront.
Conclusion: Knowledge does not have nationality; it is universal. The power of knowledge is the people themselves. In all the social movements of the modern era, the motive force has been the people and the people have a right to correct knowledge.
*The process of globalisation renders transparency obligatory, not only in countries, but in organisations and agencies. The borders between countries no longer constitute an iron curtain and no organisation or agency can follow the path of bilingualism. Knowledge has to a large degree escaped from national bounds and acquired an international structure.
*Now, for someone to be better, it is no longer enough for him to have knowledge. The most important means of grasping the changes which are taking place in the world are access to knowledge, its firm establishment, the habit of a global approach to things and an unprejudiced review of them. The message of teamwork, of co-operation, of innovative and investigative work, and the sharing of ideas and thoughts must be passed on to the younger generations. Modern man is expected to be a man who thinks freely, who operates 'outside the box', who approaches problems by means of a multi-faceted review.
*The earth is a theatre of tragic events which is beyond human control. If the aim today and in the future is a quiet and peaceful world, it is expected of the media, which have enormous power, that they should contribute to this end. For these reason, the changes which are taking place in the twenty-first century should be appreciated, the opportunities and threats which these changes will bring should be analysed, and in the light of these changes, the necessary reforms should be carried out in organisations and agencies, knowledge should be used in a critical spirit with the purpose of solving problems, and the moral, legal and socio-political aspects of the technology of knowledge should be investigated ...
*Our values will survive with people who without divisions will embrace their fellow-men, will follow the technological developments of the age, will respect freedom of thought and belief, will adopt love, respect, understanding and morality as the greatest goods and will not be cut off from other people. If there is no love, honesty, peace, happiness, calm, what meaning will technological developments have?
*We must now believe that the greatest, the most drastic asset is transparency and honesty.
**Let our thirst for knowledge be never-ending.