This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
On social media platforms, where people from all walks of life are present, countless pieces of content are shared. As users scroll, new faces and new ideas continuously appear and disappear. Some individuals gain large audiences by creating genuinely high-quality content, while others achieve popularity through content that lacks reason or logic.
What I find most puzzling is how people who produce utterly empty content manage to attract such massive followings. Do people support and follow them because they genuinely appreciate their content, or is it all just entertainment and fleeting enthusiasm? And if it is merely a passing fad, does this support and admiration simply reflect the same superficial impulse back onto society?
How many of us actually consider the quality of the people we follow? Are the individuals we elevate truly worthy of such admiration? Sometimes we elevate them to such an extent that we treat them as divine figures. Is it not deeply wrong to accept unquestioningly the actions of someone simply because they are popular? Do these deified individuals benefit society more than they harm it? We must question these things. After all, society is made up of individuals. We must never forget that those we support and value inevitably become role models.
By supporting them, we encourage the production of even more absurd content, allowing individuals to profit without putting in genuine effort. As the people we support become increasingly driven by greed and the allure of easy money, what does this reflect back onto society? Most of us have thought about this issue, at least superficially. But I believe we must think far more deeply about it if we are to build a conscious society. We must not raise adults who lack self-control and seek shortcuts in everything. The people influenced by such individuals will become tomorrow’s adults—those who will shape society.
If individuals with large followings misuse their power, they effectively hold a weapon capable of completely destroying society. We must not allow this. Currently, there are endless debates on social media, characterized by extreme polarization and a complete absence of respect, as groups attack one another. We must pay attention to and question every person we follow, support, and empower with influence. We must remove from these platforms those who pump hatred into society. These unceasing arguments will continue to unsettle society unless we take action. Preventing this is within our power.
What we support, whom we support, and why we support them—all of these are questions that must be asked. We must ask them if we are to shape the future correctly and build a healthy society. We must live today properly in order to build a better tomorrow.