The angel numbers (777, 111) we frequently encounter on social media and phone cases, promotions earned on days when your energy is high, finding the love of your life during full moons, friendships ended as a result of eclipses… While these planetary events, to which so much meaning is attributed, occur almost every week, they constantly claim to bring about transformation or change in our lives. People are told when to start a diet, when to find love, and what day “that day” will be. Does it really seem believable that everyone on this planet with a population of nearly 8.5 billion can find love on a single day?

Astrology and the Planets that Determine Destiny

When it comes to belief, one of the first things that comes to mind is astrology. Astrology, which appears everywhere and every day and is interpreted differently by everyone, claims that the movements of stars and planets in the universe affect a person’s character and destiny. And because it involves stars and planets, it is often perceived as scientific.

However, astrologers do not base their predictions on falsifiable phenomena, nor do they provide analyses grounded in objective data that can be tested through observation and experimentation. Instead, they categorize individuals according to the twelve zodiac signs, each corresponding to a particular period of the year, and make predictions based on the symbolic relationships between planets and these signs.

For example, the Cancer sign is often described as home-loving, sensitive, unwilling to leave their comfort zone, and inclined towards parenthood. One astrologer might say that Cancers will have a very bad period in that same month, while another might claim the opposite, that Cancers will experience their luckiest period. If a person’s characteristics or events do not fit the zodiac sign description, new justifications are given, such as “look at your rising sign” or “look at your moon sign.” These predictions are also supported by long, complex charts based on the time of birth. Astrology is so widespread today that some people even end their relationships using zodiac compatibility as an excuse. However, scientific research has seriously questioned the propositions of astrology.

For example, an experimental study conducted by Carlson in 1985 showed that astrologers personality analyses did not differ statistically from random predictions. Similarly, Dean’s large-scale meta-analysis in 2007 revealed that the personality descriptions provided by astrologers were not grounded in a consistent, repeatable scientific foundation. All these findings clearly show that the claim that astrology determines human character or destiny is not scientifically supported.

Fortune Tellers and Objects That Show the Future

There is a fortune-telling practice for almost everything you can come into contact with in life. Show me something, and I’ll tell you your future. Coffee grounds? Why not? A deck of cards, salt divination, foot divination, cream divination, nail divination, and so much more… Fortune tellers claim that they can predict your past, present, or future by using the tools and objects they examine. “I can tell you how long you’ll live from the palm of your hand, have you heard of the life line?” This system of prediction, grounded in interpretations and forecasts, is often perceived as credible, largely because it relies on vague, highly generalized statements that can be applied to a wide range of individuals and situations.

A young person going to university can be given as an example of this irrational practice. Already filled with great anxiety and high expectations, they go to a fortune teller to ask about their school life, the difficulties they will face, and the friendships they will form. In response, they encounter overly general statements about difficulties that anyone might experience in life, such as “There are people around you who are jealous of you,” or “You might struggle in a few courses this year.” To increase credibility, they may even base these statements on unscientific concepts such as energy or aura, which appear scientific. In fact, this effect has a scientific basis.

This is called the Forer Effect. In 1948, Bertram Forer decided to conduct an experiment with his students. He gave them all a personality test but did not evaluate the results. He distributed the same prepared text to all the students. The text briefly states: “Sometimes you are extroverted, and sometimes introverted. People may find it difficult to understand you. It takes time to gain trust, but when you love someone, you are very loyal.” The teacher asks her students to rate this text on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their own personalities, and the class receives a very high score. This experiment tells us that fortune-telling and irrational predictions are based on general life experiences. Just because one out of 50 fortune tellings come true doesn’t mean the fortune teller saw the future.

Tarot and Predicting the Future

Tarot, with its complex system and semiotic foundation, gives people a more realistic feeling. These cards that predict the future fundamentally contain several drawings, symbols, and names. However, tarot originated as a card game created for the entertainment of the nobility in Northern Italy during the late Middle Ages. Known as Tarocchi in courtly circles, the game was played by two to six participants, and its objective was to accumulate points by defeating opponents with stronger cards.

This can be likened to how Monopoly, in its current form, eventually served to forecast future trends centuries later. The figures on tarot cards are based on icons. These icons, representing death, lovers, stars, and the devil, are associated with the collective unconscious and Jung’s theory of archetypes.

For example, the Empress Card represents the mother archetype, while the Tower Card signifies destruction, chaos, and renewal.

According to Jung, the collective unconscious is not directly accessible. It reaches us through dreams, myths, symbols, and art. In this context, it is argued that the tarot cards selected by an individual serve as a mirror to the unconscious mind, bringing latent images and symbols into conscious awareness through visualization. Accordingly, the cards are believed to provide answers to questions such as: “What are you feeling? What are you thinking? And what should you do as a result?” However, the flexibility of these interpretations, their lack of empirical grounding, and their inability to generate falsifiable or verifiable hypotheses prevent them from being tested scientifically.

Science and the Pseudo-Energy of Metaphysics

However, energy has never become something that makes decisions about our lives, changes our destiny, or communicates with us. Unfortunately, the definition of energy has shifted in a completely different direction today, moving into an unreal, metaphysical realm. When people hear the word “energy,” they often interpret it metaphorically or spiritually, and even dream of specializing in this field. Many people associate energy with cosmic forces such as chakras, Qi/ Chi, auras, or Reiki, and believe it can only be felt because it is invisible. The acceptance that this understanding of “energy,” which is claimed to vary from person to person, is abstract and intuitive, reveals how unscientific the subject is. These individuals argue that energy must be balanced and flowing, believing they can maintain this balance through meditation, chakra opening, or rituals performed during celestial events such as full moons and eclipses.

They think they nourish their energy or protect it from harm in this way. However, the concept of energy, which is studied by the positive sciences such as physics and mathematics, is perceived by them almost like a pet that needs to be looked after, fed, and protected. Even hormonal changes that occur when we feel tired or weak can be explained by people who attribute them to energy or the evil eye. These people, far from having a scientific basis, shape their lives according to the state of their energy, believing that even others’ negative thoughts can affect them by emitting “negative energy waves.” Therefore, they frequently resort to meditation, chakra opening, and similar practices to supposedly cleanse their energy or feel reborn.

Cosmic Quantum at the Center of the Universe

They might try to influence you by saying that the energy within us contains a quantum field and that this quantum energy will experience a surge during periods of transformation. However, the quantum field, as we understand it in physics, is a dynamic, fluctuating physical system that exists at every point in the universe and gives rise to particles. While the fact that these microscopic particles are measurable and controllable supports the scientific aspect of the subject, these individuals try to convince people of the validity of metaphysical systems such as energy and meditation by turning the unknown nature of quantum mechanics into an advantage.

We can visualize quantum mechanics with an example: imagine a stone thrown into water; here, the water creates a quantum field, while the waves caused by the stone are particles.

It is, unfortunately, not surprising to see a spiritual connection being made under the heading of energy, even though this is the foundation of modern physics. Thinking that any invisible and immeasurable energy within us can guide our lives by detaching it from the quantum context of physics, coaching people on this subject, claiming that everything has unlimited potential, and saying that thought can transform into matter doesn’t sound very convincing. Furthermore, people who use quantum in a spiritual sense believe that when they enter this field, they can heal, attract everything into their lives in the best way through energy therapies and manifestations under the name of the law of attraction. There are even many people who specifically coach in this field. As you can imagine, these coaches have neither received physics-based training nor do they proceed based on scientific reality. Coaching under the name of quantum comes with claims that one can reprogram their life, rewrite it at the quantum level by going into the subconscious. Especially the idea of changing things at the quantum level by going into the subconscious. I hear about it a lot. I’ve witnessed people using this method to quit smoking, change their eating habits, forget traumas, and alleviate heartbreak. They believe it’s effective for a while because, for these indecisive people searching for something to hold on to in life, it becomes a source of motivation and a propaganda tool for effortless change.

But how did quantum theory come to occupy such a central place in spiritualist thought? The uncertainty surrounding quantum concepts can open the door to interpretations that nurture belief and, consequently, lead individuals into misconceptions. People often wish to believe that they possess a profound connection with the universe. Compared to the positivist reality grounded in the clear and well-defi ned principles of science, the flexibility offered by spiritual interpretations of quantum theory may appear more appealing because it seems easier and requires less intellectual effort.

Göbeklitepe: The Gateway to Aliens

Göbeklitepe, described in some popular sources as the “zero point of history,” is a structure built approximately 12,000 years ago, during the Neolithic Age, and contains multiple temples. Göbeklitepe, which carries archaeological data in religious and social terms, contains human hands and arms carved into T-shaped pillars, abstract symbols, and three-dimensional animal figures. It is also claimed that Göbeklitepe, with its monumental stone pillars, served as an energy gateway supporting ritual and social organization. Some astronomical studies suggest that these pillars may have been aligned with celestial bodies, including the Sirius comet. Such views have led to various speculations on the subject. The acoustic harmony created by the spiral corridors is thought to symbolize the structure’s sacredness, suggesting that various rituals were performed there.

Some people consider the consumption of animals such as gazelles and deer, which were eaten at that time, as part of the ritual. Perhaps this is indeed the case. But does this prove that Göbeklitepe is a quantum field encompassing spiritual energy? While acknowledging that Göbeklitepe is an archaeological site of great importance to world history, some 2024 news reports claimed it was an “energy center” and an “alien airport.” These sessions were offered for exorbitant fees, such as 69,000 TL for a three-day program. Participants were offered sessions titled “Opening a 21-Story Secret Dimension Gate via Sirius Connection,” “Upgrading a Higher Version via Light Language,” or “Breaking the Fear Protocol,” followed by group crying sessions. People were told they would connect with their past selves and embark on an inner journey through Göbeklitepe. After the session, they were expected to gather around Göbeklitepe and release their pent-up emotions. These practices drew criticism from the scientific community and were extensively covered in news reports in Sözcü Newspaper on September 20, 2022, and Cumhuriyet Newspaper on September 21, 2022, which emphasized the exploitation of cultural heritage for commercial purposes.

Unable to remain silent any longer about these events, the head of the Patara Excavation, archaeologist Prof. Dr. Havva İşkan Işık, stated, “If you are seeking healing, it is not found in the stones of Göbeklitepe, but in psychiatrists.” Considering statements that clearly demonstrate how such beliefs hinder access to science, she added that these beliefs harm scientific excavation sites, causing even the smallest stone in the area to be considered sacred. She further noted that people who believe in these beliefs, if given the opportunity, go to these areas and carry out illegal excavations and dynamite explosions, thus destroying the sites. Another popular culture element that believes in the power of words supporting energy, quantum fields, and inner journeys is the concept of the manifest. While the word manifest literally means a clear, distinct, and easily understandable expression, it takes on a completely different meaning in the context of belief. Proponents of manifest believe they can request something from the universe by expressing it as if it has already happened and “spreading its energy.” In this process, there is an acceptance of a kind of “law of attraction” created by thoughts. However, the concept of the law of attraction is based on a physical law, such as electromagnetism. Therefore, it is impossible to ground manifest thinking in real scientific laws.

Individuals who adopt manifesto thinking believe that maintaining a consistently positive attitude increases the likelihood of desired events occurring. However, it is necessary to draw attention to a fallacy called Positive Fantasy. Research shows that merely having positive fantasies makes individuals passive and weakens their motivation to act. This is also problematic from a science communication perspective. Because messages based solely on positive imagery, not planned to lead to behavioral change, can reinforce a passive waiting culture at the societal level. Science communication, on the other hand, It is not only about instilling hope, but also about guiding people to action with realistic, evidence-based information. A simple “imagine and wait” approach contradicts the fundamental principles of behavioral science. Manifest statements often consist of impressive, simple, and all-encompassing sentences. For example, statements like, “You are able to recognize the signs the universe is giving you and you are attracting the abundance you deserve,” instill a strong belief in people. While such statements can be persuasive, from a science communication perspective, they can weaken critical thinking skills. People are more inclined to accept such claims without questioning them.

When the manifest belief doesn’t materialize, it is justified with explanations such as, “You sent the wrong energy,” “You didn’t want it enough,” or “The universe has better plans for you.” Thus, the manifest concept transforms into a belief system that cannot be falsified no matter what is done, which clearly contradicts the principle of falsifiability, a fundamental principle of scientific thinking. While some people try to use manifests as a goal-setting tool for planning, they often expect results simply by saying the right words, as if they have found a magic formula. This situation leads to passive expectation without effort. This risk is particularly important in terms of science communication. Because when realistic goals, behavioral plans, and evidence-based information are not presented, there is a danger of weakening society’s connection with scientific thinking.

Lack of Science and Uncertainty

People’s vulnerability to uncertainty leads them to belief systems that promise false hopes but lack a scientific basis. Concepts such as astrology, fortune telling, tarot, energy, quantum leaps, and manifestos are systems embellished with an attempt to appear scientific, but because they are based on general and personal interpretations, they do not produce real knowledge. Such beliefs offer people the illusion of control while simultaneously overshadowing scientific thinking and questioning. Science, on the other hand, is a system that progresses through observation, experimentation, and logic, open to doubt and change. It is not the position of the stars or the openness of chakras that determines life, but decisions made with reason and knowledge. Instead of being captivated by the allure of pseudoscience, equipping oneself with real knowledge is the healthiest path to individual development and societal progress.

Manifest, Energy, Quantum: Fake Science yazısı ilk önce Context Dergi üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

“By arguing that ‘the medium is an extension of the human body or mind,’ he described the wheel as an extension of the foot, the book as an extension of the eye, and clothing as an extension of the skin.”

For those less familiar with his scholarly work or theoretical writings, Marshall McLuhan is often recognized by that famous photograph of him standing before a wall of television screens. In the public imagination, he remains a prominent media figure and one of the founding fathers of New Media theory. With the concept of the Global Village he introduced in the 1960s, he foresaw that the internet would become an infrastructure technology; at a time when everyone was focused on content, that is the message he pointed to the tools, or more accurately, the “medium.” Through his provocative ideas, television appearances, lectures, and presence in mainstream media, he elevated his fame far beyond the typical sphere of influence for an academic. He succeeded in reaching a wide audience; with his media critiques, cultural analyses, and distinctive aphorisms woven into his compelling style, he became a well-known figure. Thus, he is recognized as one of the most influential media theorists of his time and as one of the early science communicators, successfully opening up his ideas for public debate. Discussions on how mass media influences human senses and the balance between them continue to follow the path McLuhan pioneered. The media theories and analytical framework he established remain a powerful conceptual tool for studies aiming to interpret new media.

McLuhan is particularly remembered for concepts such as The Medium Is the Message and The Global Village; for this reason, he has faced harsh criticism from academic communities. However, the fact that the internet and social media have evolved into a fundamental communication technology worldwide, as he predicted, serves as proof of how accurate his predictions were. Moreover, McLuhan’s ideas were not limited to books; he reached out to the public through his unforgettable interview with one of the most popular magazines of his time, Playboy (1969). By distilling his media theories down to their simplest terms and illustrating them with examples relevant to everyone’s daily life, he used the very medium through which he communicated his ideas as a tool in the process. Indeed, by stating that “The medium is the extension of man”, he described the wheel as an extension of the foot, the book as an extension of the eye, and clothing as an extension of the skin; he defi ned technology as a natural part of humanity’s process of enhancing its own capabilities. In this interview, he elaborated on one of his most memorable statements, “The medium is the message,” by saying, “Television is not just an entertainment box; it reshapes the way people see, hear, feel, and think,” and he engraved his theory in people’s minds using examples from everyday life. Another medium through which McLuhan continued his efforts to popularize science was television. After his books made it onto the bestseller lists, McLuhan was featured in the episode titled The Medium is the Message from NBC’s documentary series Experiment in Television. Produced with an experimental approach, this episode visualizes McLuhan’s theories through colored lights, rapid editing, and a pop-art aesthetic. The documentary describes McLuhan as the “high priest of pop culture” and a “trendy intellectual.”

“‘Television is not just an entertainment box; it reshapes the way people see, hear, feel, and think,’ and he engraved his theory in people’s minds using examples from everyday life.”

He employed the same strategy in his lectures, conveying his theories through examples that resonated with students’ lives. Rejecting traditional lecture formats, he used everyday details from advertising slogans to newspapers and from popular songs to street signs as examples. He analyzed Coca- Cola’s Things go better with Coke slogan and examined the poetic narrative of advertisements. In this way, he produced theoretical approaches using data gathered from everyday life, translating abstract analyses into understandable language. Through this, he brought academia’s closed discourse into everyday life in a way that the average person could comprehend. While explaining how even typography shapes human thought, he illustrated how every detail from the layout of newspaper pages and street posters to the arrangement of lines in store windows shapes perception. He emphasized that writing shapes the senses not only through its meaning but also through its form.

In his lectures, he effectively put on a stage performance; through humor, irony, and theatrical gestures, he aimed not only to have the audience listen but also to surprise them, make them think, and encourage them to question. From time to time, with unexpected phrases like “Today I’m not speaking to you, but to this microphone,” he conveyed the impact of the medium directly to those watching in that very moment. He described the massive live broadcast Our World in 1967, featuring twenty-four countries, as a communication miracle in which the world had transformed into a Global Village. He characterized The Beatles’ performance of All You Need Is Love as a collective rhythm in which millions of people could share the same emotion simultaneously. In this way, he defi ned a technological revolution as a process that resonates with the public’s senses. Similarly, in that unforgettable scene from Woody Allen’s Annie Hall where a character brings McLuhan into the, his intervention in the characters’ discussion with the line “you know nothing of my work” served as a way to infuse his theory into popular culture. In this way, he brought even an academic debate to the public using the language of humor and everyday life, thereby taking science communication beyond its traditional boundaries. One of his most remarkable works is the book The Medium Is the Massage. Like his other works, this book is based on his own theories, as he explains them.

Unlike standard theoretical texts, McLuhan crafted this book using collage aesthetics, typographic play, visuals, and short passages, thereby embodying the image that form is an integral part of content. He also collaborated on this book with Quentin Fiore, one of the most important graphic designers of his time, producing a visually appealing work that brought it recognition. While the word “Massage” in the book’s title, may appear to be a mistake, he explained that he chose to use “massage” instead of “message,” implying that communication tools stimulate and shape human senses like a massage. Thus, even the book’s title has become an example reflecting McLuhan’s theoretical horizon.

During the years when McLuhan was developing his theories, the prevailing perspective in communication studies was an approach that focused on the content of messages and drew on models of propaganda and attitude change. In contrast to this content-centered approach that took shape after World War II, McLuhan placed the medium at the center, opening a discussion of the transformative role of the medium’s carrier in human senses and social order, thereby distinguishing himself from his contemporaries. Structuralist and language-centered theorists generally found McLuhan’s emphasis on the determinism of media to be reductionist (oversimplifying a complicated issue by trying to explain it using only one single cause), prioritizing the analysis of symbolic orders and cultural codes. Sociological critiques, meanwhile, viewed his positioning of technology as the sole key to social change as incomplete, arguing that he overlooked the cultural context.

Despite all these ideological differences, McLuhan opened up a space for public discourse not only through his conceptual vision but also through the way he shared these concepts with society; he succeeded in popularizing his theory by establishing a broad repertoire of communication, ranging from television programs to radio interviews, and from magazine columns to theatrical performances on stage. He embraced television, the rising medium of the era, before his peers, going beyond merely describing its transformative impact to letting people experience it firsthand. This is because television, especially from the mid-1950s onward, took its place in homes and became the center of daily life.

“McLuhan’s concepts of ‘cool’ and ‘hot’ media among his most important conceptual tools provide a significant framework by explaining the interaction between the user and the medium.”

Television transformed the social steering power that radio and cinema had maintained for many years by offering moving images, sounds, and live broadcast capabilities. With its diverse content ranging from news bulletins to entertainment programs, from series to sports broadcasts, it shaped the daily routines of the masses, transforming people’s agendas and even the way they perceive life. While bringing individuals together around a shared visual culture, it has reshaped the advertising industry from top to bottom, serving as a pillar for the spread of consumer culture on a mass scale. With this effect bringing family members together in front of the same screen in daily life and reorganizing the flow of life, it has also provided a powerful example to support McLuhan’s distinction between “hot” and “cool” media.

McLuhan’s concepts of “cool” and “hot” media among his most important conceptual tools provide a significant framework by explaining the interaction between the user and the medium. Examples of these include radio, cinema, and printed books. These media are defi ned as “hot” tools because they feature high resolution, dense data, and closed meanings. This is because these tools leave no room for the viewer to think, thereby creating a passive perceptual process. In contrast, “cool” tools are media that offer low resolution, incomplete data, and force the viewer to complete the meaning, thereby requiring active participation.

However, McLuhan places television in a very different category within cold media. He compares the viewer’s data flow in a “cool” participatory medium to a mosaic. To understand this method of data transmission, first understanding “what a mosaic is and why he equates television with it” is important.

In its most basic sense, a mosaic is a visual art form in which small, colorful pieces (stone, glass, ceramic, etc.) come together to form a whole. While each piece may not carry meaning on its own, when placed side by side, they create a large and meaningful composition. McLuhan uses this aesthetic structure to describe the modes of perception and thought in the media age. According to him, modern communication media -particularly television, advertisements, magazines, and later the internet- present information not in a sequential and linear manner, but in a fragmented, polyphonic, and simultaneous way. This requires the viewer to do more than just watch; it demands the ability to actively “fi ll in” the missing pieces. Social media feeds are one of the most prominent examples of this mosaic structure today. An Instagram Explore page or a TikTok feed creates a mosaic-like transmission experience where independent fragments are arranged randomly yet form a coherent whole in the user’s mind. Here, the mosaic is not merely an aesthetic element but is regarded as a new form of thinking, seeing, and constructing meaning in the media age.

McLuhan’s mosaic narrative form is directly intertwined with the concept of “cool media.” Just as a mosaic presents a fragmented and incomplete whole to be completed in the viewer’s mind, cold media also expects active participation from the viewer. Such media do not present everything “readymade” in high resolution; rather, they provoke perception, leave gaps, and make the viewer a part of the process. Mosaic structures such as newspaper layouts, advertising collages, or social media feeds do not transmit information directly; instead, they create chains of associations in the minds of their audiences. Thus mosaic aesthetics aligns closely with the fundamental characteristics of cool media. Low definition encourages high participation and, consequently, the production of multiple meanings. Television’s “two-dimensional mosaic” narrative, the constantly shifting content of social media, and postmodern designs constructed through collage techniques all establish a relationship in which the audience is not merely a consumer but also a producer of meaning. In this context, the mosaic structure can be understood as the visual and structural counterpart of McLuhan’s concept of cool media.

Within all these television programs and the institutional frameworks used to communicate with the masses, one of the most symbolic examples of McLuhan’s rise to international prominence was his feature in Time Magazine in 1969. Appearing in such a prestigious publication was an almost unimaginable sign of popularity for a communication theorist. The magazine described him with striking phrases like “the high priest of pop culture” and “the metaphysician of media,” emphasizing that he was a figure capable of speaking to the broader public’s search for meaning in a rapidly changing world of communication. He did not limit his influence to print and visual media; in connection with his work The Medium is the Massage, he recorded an audio album (LP) composed of music, sound, and fragmented narratives, thereby extending his theory into an auditory experience. McLuhan’s influence was not confi ned to North America; his ideas were widely discussed in intellectual circles across Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom and France, and are considered to have inspired the media theories of later thinkers such as Baudrillard.

Marshall McLuhan was not only one of the most influential media theorists of the 20th century but also a powerful science communicator who could convey his theories by bringing them directly into everyday life. His media theory opened a new paradigm in understanding communication by arguing that the medium is more powerful than the message; by viewing technology as a natural extension of humanity, he redefi ned the relationship between humans, the senses and technology. By appearing in popular media, he succeeded in bringing academic thought into the lives of ordinary people; through his conferences, television programs, magazine interviews, and stage performances, he transformed his theory into a spectacle, thereby making science accessible to the masses. McLuhan’s predictions have been largely validated by the rise of the internet, social media, and globalized communication networks, and the concept of the global village has become a reality in today’s world.

Despite all criticism, the analytical framework he developed regarding media remains a fundamental reference point in media studies. His legacy is an intellectual he approaches communication not merely as the transmission of information, but as a dynamic process that transforms human senses, modes of perception, and social structures.

In this regard, McLuhan is remembered as a theorist who continues to shed light on modern communication studies and whose ideas stand the test of time.

Marshall McLuhan: The Mastermind Behind the Media yazısı ilk önce Context Dergi üzerinde ortaya çıktı.