Bastard Culture

In his book Bastard Culture , Schäfer, a professor of digital culture and new media at Utrecht University, explores the consequences of the mass adoption of computers and the internet. The complex interactions between users and companies, and the complexities of the link between markets and media practices, create a socio-technical ecosystem, a heterogeneous constellation of diverse participants. Thus, a culture industry is formed through the complex interaction of diverse users.

The evolution of culture into an industry actually eliminates its uniqueness and identity. The internet's accessibility to users from all over the world, combined with the sharing of texts and images, makes creations whose origins are unknown but accessible to everyone visible and embraced.

It would be correct to call such a culture that has been industrialized or produced with information communication technology as Bastard Culture .

Although the hybridization of cultures is seen by some as cultural enrichment, it is actually the first stage of the transition towards a bastard culture.

Here is an example of manufactured cultural erosion…

Ramadan is the month of fasting. Iftar is near. The fasting family has set the table. A giant bottle of Coca-Cola sits on the table. As the time for iftar approaches, the eyes and gazes of the fasting family members focus on that giant bottle. Then the call to prayer begins. The head of the family opens the bottle with a resounding recitation of the Bismillah. He pours it into glasses, and all family members share the iftar with the Coca-Cola poured into glasses from the giant bottle. After taking the first sip, they remember to say "Alhamdulillah."

You can argue that such a family is culturally enriched by a hybrid culture and that this is how a modern Muslim family should be.

On the other hand, you can also argue that this unification, interaction or degradation corrupts the existing original culture, and that the culture that is thought to be enriched actually disappears.

Other questions can also be asked…

If such a union is seen as a hybrid and viewed positively because it brings enrichment, does it serve the modernization of the family in the example? Or does it serve the Islamization of the modern family?

Or is there something else at play?

Is it possible not to see that such cultural degeneration, softened as hybridization or enrichment, actually contributes to global consumption?

How can we eliminate the elements that are seen as obstacles on the way to uniform global consumption by using global media?

What is the future of information and communication technologies and global media, which Schäfer calls Bastard Culture ?

The perception of cultural enrichment or multiculturalism, which creates the image of being a modern Muslim, actually melts all the cultural components within this heterogeneous mix into a melting pot. Once the rough edges are smoothed out, it becomes a component of global culture.

Globalization and the goal of creating a global village are being implemented with moderation and caution. Its primary focus is global media. The global media, formed by information and communication technologies that serve global goals, will naturally begin by corrupting and bastardizing existing culture in order to create a global culture.

If anyone asks how things are here, the system is the same.

The same thing works for us. How?

Let's look at our streets. Look at the information and communication technologies used. Look at the sterilization and corruption of the language used in communication. Look at the language used by our youth, the street language. The deterioration in our language, one of the main pillars of culture, is visible.

Now there are Invitation Houses; asking for a girl's hand in marriage and the rest is done in a flash here.

Now there is Baby Mawlid and Birthday Mawlid.

There is the Hafiz Party, there is the Welcome to Hafiz Party.

There are ceremonial iftar dinners given to elite and wealthy people in five-star hotels and luxury restaurants.

There is a mosque called Papaz.

There are also prayer orders placed online.

There is a Waltz Show at the October 29 Republic Day ceremonies in a school called Atatürk High School.

What's going on...

Global media continues to rapidly create its own global culture. It corrupts cultural values ​​and assets under the guise of cultural enrichment or multiculturalism, creating its own bastard culture.

We rejoice that we are becoming world citizens while our culture is being ruined! How tragic!

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Şahin \ Timeturk