Hakikat-Sonrası Çağda Covid-19 Komplo Teorileri

Year 2022, Issue: 76, 227 - 244, 13.12.2022

Ömer Ersin Kahraman

Abstract

Covid-19 pandemisi, virüsün yayılmasını engellemek amacıyla devreye sokulan radikal uygulamalarla yalnız sağlık sistemi üzerinde değil ekonomik, politik ve sosyal anlamda önemli sonuçlar doğurarak dünya genelinde en önemli yapısal krizlerden birini tetikledi. Bu durum, pandeminin etkileri ve devletlerin baş etmek için uyguladığı yöntemler etrafında yalnız akademik çevrelerde değil, katılım için hiçbir eğitim veya profesyonel birikim istemeyen sosyal medya mecraları yoluyla toplumun her kesiminde çok sayıda tartışmaya neden oldu. Sonuç olarak bu dönem, virüsün hızlı yayılmasını devletlerin ve büyük ilaç şirketlerinin bir komplosu olduğu suçlamalarından pandeminin 5G gibi yeni iletişim teknolojilerini uygulamaya almak için ortaya atılmış bir aldatmaca olduğu iddialarına kadar çeşitli komplo teorilerine şahitlik etti. Bu durumun insanları yanlış yönlendirdiği ve virüsün yayılmasına karşı mücadeleyi tehlikeye attığı ortadadır. İlk bakışta yanlış bilginin yayılmasında suçlanması gerekenin yeni iletişim teknolojilerinin kullanımı olduğu ve çözümün de aldatmacaları önceden tespit edecek yeni aletler geliştirmekte bulunabileceği düşünülebilir. Her ne kadar sosyal medya komplo teorilerinin yayılımını kolaylaştırsa da insanların sosyal medya platformlarını bilginin bilgi çağında metalaşması süreciyle beraber gelişen ana akım medyaya olan güvensizlik nedeniyle ilk bilgi kaynağı olarak seçilmesi gerçeği göz önünde tutulursa sosyal medya asıl sebep olarak ele alınamaz. Bu makale, felsefenin bakış açısından hakikat sonrası dönemde komplo teorilerine yönelik eğilimin sosyopsikolojik mekanizmalarını Aydınlanma projesinin evrensel doğruları arayışına olan güvenin bilginin metalaşması ve sömürülmesine bağlı kaybedilmesi ile ilişkili incelemeyi amaçlıyor.

Keywords

Covid-19, komplo teorileri, hakikat sonrası, Aydınlanma, sosyal psikoloji

COVID-19 CONSPIRACISM IN THE AGE OF POST-TRUTH

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered one of the most important structural crises of the world as the pandemic has not just had a great impact on the healthcare systems, but it has overwhelmed the world economically, politically and socially due to the extreme measures applied to mitigate the propagation of the virus. This situation has led to numerous debates around the effects of the pandemic and the methods that states applied to deal with it, not only in academic circles but in all levels of society merely throughout social media discussions to which participation does not require any educational or professional background. Consequently, this period has also witnessed the diffusion of conspiracy theories varying from accusations which consider the rapid propagation of the virus as a plot of states and big pharmaceutical companies to allegations which presume the pandemic as a hoax to implement new communication technologies like 5G. It is obvious that this situation misleads people and endangers the struggle against the propagation of the virus. At first glance, it can be thought that the use of new communication technologies is to blame for the diffusion of false news, and a solution can be found in developing new tools to detect hoaxes beforehand. However, although social media facilitates the diffusion of conspiracism, it cannot be taken as the major reason seeing the fact that people have chosen to use social media platforms as their information sources because of their distrust against the mainstream media insomuch as information itself has been commodified in the age of information. Thus, this article aims to investigate within a philosophical perspective the sociopsychological mechanisms of the propensity towards conspiracy theories in the post-truth era in relation with the lost faith in the Enlightenment project’s quest for universal truths due to the commodification and exploitation of information.

Keywords

Covid-19, conspiracy theories, Post-Truth, Enlightenment, social psychology

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