Last semester, the primary goal of my data-oriented courses—as outlined in our syllabus—was to enable students to analyze and internalize content through a data-driven lens. We focused on the processes of accessing, filtering, and classifying data, all within the discipline of storytelling, and visualized these findings using entry-level, browser-based tools like Datawrapper and Flourish.
In these practice-heavy and skill-oriented sessions, we examined countless examples from all over the world. To reinforce these applications, we decided that every student should work on a single theme, and Professor Umut Yiğit suggested “media consumption” as our focus. Throughout the semester, I have seen many high-quality projects emerge from this specific concentration.
Furthermore, within the scope of this course, we personally experienced the ongoing debate: “What do AI tools take away from our lessons, and what do they contribute?” I believe that advancing a skill-based course through the axis of theoretical approaches and current developments is far more beneficial. By allowing a limited use of chat-based AI tools, we tested which work packages they could support within a constructed story. We observed that while AI is helpful in technical matters and data analysis, it can yield rather shallow results when it comes to building an authentic narrative from that data. I believe the students realized firsthand exactly where they needed to challenge their own creative boundaries.
When we combined our data narratives with Professor Umut Yiğit’s work—where he reinterpreted the “Allegory of the Cave” with his semiotics students—we knew a compelling exhibition would emerge. Our talented student assistants, Elif Başlantı, Mustafa Burak Avcı, and Ege Pelin, made significant contributions with their design and editorial support in transforming these semester outputs into an exhibition. Ultimately, the “Data Narratives on Media Consumption” exhibition was born. Extended summaries of the works selected from dozens of projects can be accessed via the Beykent NewsLab Instagram account. For those who wish to examine them in more detail, the works will be open for visitors at Medialab until April 10th. We look forward to seeing you there.
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