Does Salvation Lie in the Mafia’s Outcry or in the Public’s (Situational) Awareness?

With developing technology and means of communication, access to information has become easier than ever. But this ease has also brought certain difficulties in identifying the source and reliability of information. From exactly this point we arrive at a brief interim conclusion that forms the basis of our article: The issue of control of information making individuals and society more easily open to being steered.

Undoubtedly, whatever name it goes by, the most effective weapon against mass communication methods such as propaganda, psychological warfare, perception management, strategic communication and manipulation, carried out from the past to the present by people, institutions and organisations acting on behalf of companies and states, and frequently by politicians, is the state of “being aware”. For through these methods the masses can be manipulated into displaying the desired attitudes and behaviours in line with predetermined goals. One of the most important features of these methods is that the target audience does not know about the manipulation it is exposed to; indeed, the masses whose behaviour has been steered believe they are making their choices of their own free will.

Although looking and seeing appear to be two similar acts, they differ greatly in their results. In the dictionary of the Turkish Language Association, the word “bakmak” (to look) is defined as “to turn one’s gaze towards something”. The word “görmek” (to see) means “to perceive, understand, grasp or sense the existence of something with the help of the eye”. Penetrating to the inner nature of events by seeing is an important mental function. One step before that is the state of being aware. Awareness is one of the signs showing that the mind remains constantly alert.

Before going into detail, it will be useful to begin with a current example, also mentioned in the title, to draw attention to why we need this concept. As everyone knows, since the beginning of May 2021, Sedat Peker, whose name is linked with many incidents and crimes, has rapidly become a talking point in national and even international public opinion with his unprecedented video statements in the nature of allegations and revelations.

Although on the one hand it is a utilitarian and detailed “declaration of the obvious” arising from a typical conflict of interests, and on the other an example of the pot calling the kettle black, it is impossible to ignore this outburst in terms of the concepts above. For, with the viewing figures so far, he is conducting a campaign of reputation and perception management that will also whitewash the crimes he himself was involved in, using a popularity that many celebrities or politicians have not achieved. Another important point giving Peker an advantage in terms of influence is that he is from within the system itself, that is, one of the partners in crime. So much so that this has almost overshadowed all the efforts that legitimate persons, offices, institutions and organisations have made in the name of right and law.

Setting aside the purpose and content of what Peker says and all the ideologically differing comments and assessments, the side of the matter we will dwell on is how we as a society will position ourselves and how we can make the soundest assessments in the face of the direct messages of suddenly and rapidly changing agendas and what is hidden behind them.

We can say that viewers are trying to give these videos, which continue to be published as a series, “a meaning from within a confusion of meanings”. Indeed, from minute 03:10 of the 8th episode, Sedat Peker advises, in a way that encourages questioning, that citizens believe everything shown on TV and that people should not believe even what he himself says.

Of course, in our country one could mention thousands of examples of actions and statements in which messages are given openly or sometimes influence the subconscious covertly. But the important thing at this point is, without scattering the subject by multiplying these examples, to examine “Situational Awareness”, one of our most effective defence mechanisms as a proactive force against propaganda or perception attacks. For our country is going through times when, as in the recent past, it most needs events to be approached holistically and issues to be followed in connection with one another. As in this example, those who were used in the past for mutual gain and in cooperation with the system can, tomorrow as today, make near 180-degree turns according to their new deals and settlements. Indeed, looking from a higher vantage point, the masses can become captives of a manipulation they are not even aware of, through an activity that all of them have been conducting as a staged fight from the very beginning.

The process by which the individual becomes fully aware of what is happening around him, perceives it, determines the level of any threat and chooses the right course of action within a short time began to be placed on systematic foundations from the start of the last century and entered the literature as the concept of “Situational Awareness”. This concept is also very important for enabling us to notice the potential dangers around us.

The notion of awareness can be found in fields as different as security, aviation, psychology and social psychology. The reason is that the concept responds to a basic discipline of thought that the human mind needs in order to work effectively.

Many studies in this field can be found in the literature, but besides the application of “Situational Awareness” in different sectors and professions, an important part we will dwell on is its benefits as a force multiplier in designing the individual’s mental world.

After this article, which can be read as an introduction to the subject through current developments,  I will try to explore the matter in more detail in PUGAT’s “Series” section. In addition, since in this series the concept of “situational awareness” is treated as a hybrid model specifically in relation to propaganda, examples from real life will also be offered, unlike theoretical approaches to the subject.