The Aesthetic Trap of Digital Culture

When we consciously browse social media rather than mindlessly scrolling through news feeds, we realise that the content is jumbled. There are intertwined situations. These are difficult to grasp at first because they conform to an increasingly accepted structure. The local values and cultural elements of countries are sometimes the subject of jokes or irrelevant content. Although it is difficult to reconcile the two, people get used to it over time. But how healthy is this for these values? Are we obliged to accept all the “interesting and different” content presented to us?

Humanity's focus is completely misguided. At regular intervals — perhaps every generation — social media, in the form of algorithms and content producers, stops at nothing to capture our attention.

First came filters, then the stories feature, which made us curious about what others were posting. Then came the ability to add music to content. Even if we didn't like the content itself, we could tolerate it because of the song. Then subtitles appeared, and the strange thing is that even when consuming content in our own language, we find ourselves unable to take our eyes off them.

Attention-grabbing tools were used periodically and appear to have been effective. Another factor is that content which was previously only available locally is now more globalised. For instance, as well as Turkish accounts, we can access US content in general, but we also see foreign accounts with posts relating to our own culture. If someone eats Turkish cuisine and it attracts attention, almost all of us will see it. In short, social media managers have increased the amount of content we encounter in proportion to their geographical reach.

Photo by Zhen Yao on Unsplash

I would like to draw your attention to the final example that I provided. It is very effective that posts reflecting our values reach us, regardless of the account. People are always curious about the opinions of foreigners, no matter what country they are from. The reaction does not matter because even negative feedback creates interaction. In other words, there is no such thing as good or bad advertising.

We know that we are an extremely active nation on social media, but we won't discuss the reasons why. That's another matter. However, it's not only us who are aware of our digital activity — foreign content creators are too, and they share posts that reflect our values. They are therefore capitalising on our active online presence. Of course, not everyone acts with this awareness, but it's clear that some do. Given how useful this is, it would be surprising if they didn't take advantage of it. We love interaction, being remembered, being praised and being loved. The most important thing is to be aware of this and not consume content blindly.

In this situation, some foreigners are actually familiar with our culture. Whether or not they have good intentions, some of them can satisfy their curiosity through the opportunities they have chosen to pursue. They visit our country, admire our world-famous cats, sample the wide variety of Turkish dishes (widely regarded as some of the best in the world) and try street food. They become part of our daily lives, getting to know us closely and broadening their worldview in the process. Eventually, they realise that we are not accurately portrayed by the hypocritical and deceitful Western media (though this is not limited to the West).

Top 10 European airports by total number of passengers in 2025 - Reddit

Nevertheless, I would like to raise an issue that I wish to criticise. Tourists are influenced by social media when deciding where to travel. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the concept of tourism has changed considerably. Nowadays, fewer people pick up a country guidebook, seek advice from friends and family, or choose to visit a place based on stories they have read or heard. Since social media plays such a big part in people's lives, tourists now come hoping to experience what they see on it. That's why you've surely seen tourists in every country complaining that it's not as they expected and leaving unhappy. This applies to every country.

So, here's what we have: Many tourists are no longer driven by a sense of adventure and discovery; rather, they are motivated by the desire to experience the cultural values they see constantly in the news or digital media (some of which may be true, while others may be exaggerated). In addition, they try to offer more content to their audience as a result of the interaction they gain from these visits (we love it when they praise our food). We become fish caught in the net. We love it, we follow it, and we expect more. We give plenty of advice in the comments. Of course, we mostly do these things with good intentions.

This is precisely where things start to get complicated. Firstly, we must recognise that the situation we're discussing is so common that we encounter it almost daily. It's not just the occasional tourist; people from all over the world flock to our country all year round. In fact, some of the world's most visited cities and busiest airports are located here.

Furthermore, while what I've described so far is generally from our perspective, it's clear that this issue affects many countries. Let's not overlook that.

Photo by Emma Vendetta on Unsplash

At some point, we realise that countries' values are being applied to everything, regardless of their relevance. It's literally turning into a mishmash. Some people claim to love everything about a country without having even been there. Another person uses a random song with irrelevant lyrics from that country in their posts. You don't understand why it's being used, but that doesn't matter to the content creator. The more absurd the content, the more engagement it gets. Some people deliberately post negative comments to create “rage bait”, meaning they can turn your anger into engagement. Local dance figures are used without any regard for their dignity. They express thoughts that will please those around them about a respected figure. Anything foreign to them or that could be formed according to a person's character is seen as material that can be mocked. All of this is done just to get a few likes. Each post inevitably attracts attention or, conversely, breeds hatred. However, they all have one thing in common: they undermine values in one way or another. This applies to both positive, fake ones and negative, aggressive ones.

“All right, we understand, but should none of this be done? Should local values not be recognised globally?” one might ask. Firstly, the question itself is contradictory. 'Local' becoming 'global'... No one can fully understand or assimilate local values through a single experience. In fact, it's not just foreigners who find it hard to understand and accept local values — citizens of the same country may struggle too. This is only natural. It would be unreasonable to expect this of a foreigner. A tourist will not be able to experience these elements any more deeply than a child.

The real issue here is not whether these cultural elements are liked or disliked, or whether they are local or national. The main problem lies with their digital counterparts. Over the past decade or so, as more and more of us have become reliant on social media, the value of things has begun to diminish. We have seen that creating recognition does not necessarily add value. However, branding and doing so consciously may well achieve this. But how much can we actually achieve within this digital artificiality with values that we quickly elevate and do not devote much time to remembering or knowing?

Sometimes I think we forget how to live. I mean living without being driven by the urge to take photos and share them on social media, thinking about good angles to get likes, telling people where you are, or trying to prove anything. It's about being present in the moment, immersing yourself in the experience, connecting with others, and creating memories, both good and bad, to share over dinner with friends. It's about experiencing culture and embracing its essence, rather than viewing it as a digital aesthetic and reducing it to superficiality. It's about becoming aware of it and learning from it.