Fahrettin Altun


Fahrettin Altun earned his B.A. in Sociology from İstanbul University in 1998. Two years later, he received his M.A. in Sociology from Mimar Sinan University, İstanbul. Altun earned his PhD at İstanbul University in 2006 with a thesis entitled “Comparative Analysis of Media Theories of McLu-han and Baudrillard.” He was a visiting professor at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.

Altun has written articles for the Middle East Critique, Perceptions, Toplum ve Bilim, Türkiye Araştırmaları Literatür Dergisi, Euro Agenda, Sivil Toplum, and Divan.

Altun contributed with chapters to The Turkish AK Party and Its Leader: Criticism, Opposition and Dissent (Routledge, 2016), Modern Türkiye’de Siyasal Düşünce (Vol. 6 İslamcılık, İletişim Yayınları, 2004), Sivil Toplum: Farklı Bakışlar, Küresel Güçler (Kaknüs Yayınları, 2005).

He is the author of the book Modernleşme Kuramı: Eleştirel Bir Giriş (İnsan Yayınları, 2017, 4th edition). Altun, together with İsmail Çağlar and Turgay Yerlikaya, compiled, Türkiye’de Basın Özgürlüğü (SETA Yayınları, 2016); with Burhanettin Duran, The Triumph of Turkish Democracy: The July 15 Coup Attempt and Its Aftermath (SETA Yayınları, 2016); and with İsmail Çağlar and Mehmet Akif Memmi, 15 Temmuz’da Medya: Darbe ve Direnişin Mecrası (SETA Yayınları, 2017).

Fahrettin Altun was a columnist for Akşam daily and currently writes for Sabah and Daily Sabah newspapers. While Altun hosted “Ayrıntı,” a live television program aired on TRT 2 and TRT Haber for two years. Altun’s area of research concentrates on the sociology of media and communication, political communication, social media, Turkish modernization and political culture.

Experience

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Education

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  • We are experiencing the rise of unprecedented opportunities as a result of the digital revolution, but regrettably this has also been accompanied by a number of novel threats. One of the most visible manifestations of these threats is the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation. The implications of this threat extend from the individual to the national and international levels, where misinformation and disinformation bring the risk of hybrid warfare and power competition closer to home. Needless to say, the breadth of these implications makes dealing with digital misinformation even more difficult. This commentary focuses on several global events where misinformation and disinformation were used as a tactical tool, including the 2016 U.S. elections, Brexit, and COVID-19. Then, we discuss the situation involving Türkiye, one of the nations that serves as both a target and a focal point of regional disinformation campaigns. The commentary then shifts to some of the Communication Directorate's most significant initiatives, such as the creation of the Earthquake Disinformation Bulletins, the Law on the Fight Against Disinforma- tion, and the Center for Fight Against Disinformation. Finally, above all, this commentary aims to raise awareness of the dangers of online misinformation and urges international cooperation to ensure that the truth always prevails.
  • Two years have passed since the attempted coup of July 15, which was a serious attack on Turkey's state, society and democracy.
  • The ongoing rift between the U.S. and the EU countries in NATO hints at the slow collapse of the Western alliance
  • Had it not been for President Erdoğan's strong leadership, Turkey might have panicked in the face of pressing issues and failed to prevent existing problems or meet new challenges
  • Turkey's fight against FETÖ is not over, but gets even deeper as the full extent of the terrorist group's secretive structure gradually emerges