Research Assistant Ayten Bengisu Cansever, from the Department of Communication and Design at Istanbul Gelişim University (IGU), Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), has successfully presented her "doctoral thesis proposal" as part of her doctoral education in Public Relations and Advertising at Istanbul University's Institute of Social Sciences. The proposal, titled “A Study On Presence Of Positive Psychology's ‘Promise Of Happiness’ In New Media In The Context Of Neoliberal Governmentality”, was deemed suitable by the members of the proposal jury for further research as part of her doctoral thesis during the Spring Semester of 2022-2023.
Cansever mentioned that in today's world, where everything has turned into an investment, the unique emotion of happiness is also considered a new form of capital. She stated that this idea reflects itself in various fields, including psychology, economics, and media. She continued by saying, "In economics, this situation manifests itself as the happiness economy, and we begin to see the methods of making ourselves happy through positive psychology." She pointed out that, from a Foucauldian perspective, the media is an important apparatus in which we internalize all of these, as happiness is associated with consumption and commodified in advertisements. She noted that it can be read as one of the significant areas where happiness is standardized. Cansever stated that the subject of our time sees happiness, which is now associated with consumption or making investments, as a form of self-technology and considers it as a key to being "more successful." Therefore, she emphasized the importance of discussing these promises of happiness that captivate us in populist discourses in the new media. She concluded her statement by expressing gratitude to her esteemed thesis advisor, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nilnur Tandaçgüneş, and the distinguished jury members, Prof. Dr. Sevimece Karadoğan Doruk and Prof. Dr. Gürdal Ülger, for their approval and support in this matter.
We congratulate Research Assistant Ayten Bengisu Cansever and wish her continued success in her academic journey.
