Yeni medyada mimarlık eleştirisi ve yayıncılığı
Architectural criticism and publishing in new media
Yazar: KÜBRA BİLGE ERDEM
Danışman: DOÇ. DR. FUNDA UZ
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Mimarlık Ana Bilim Dalı / Mimari Tasarım Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2021
Konu: Mimarlık = Architecture
Dizin: Basın-yayın = Press and publication ; Elektronik yayıncılık = Electronic publishing ; Mimari eleştiri = Architectural critism ; Yeni medya = New media

Özet:
Mimarlık medyası ve yayıncılığı, tarihsel olarak mimarlık bilgisini üretmek ve bu bilginin kitlelere aktarımını sağlamak için kullanılan başlıca araçları sunmaktadır. Mimarlık eleştirisi ve kuramı da mimarlık üzerine bilgi ve düşünce üreten bir pratik olarak medya ve yayıncılık alanlarıyla her zaman ilişki içindedir. Mimarlara ait veya mimarlara hitap eden kitaplar, dergiler, monografiler, portfolyolar gibi pek çok basılı materyal bugüne kadar akademik çalışmalarda mimarlık kuramı ve eleştirisi ile ilişkisi kapsamında ele alınmıştır. Diğer yandan günümüzde medya pratikleri ve onunla yakından ilişkili olan mimarlık medyası önemli bir dönüm noktasında bulunmaktadır. 1960'lardan itibaren bilgisayar teknolojisinin gelişimi, yüzyıl sonunda internet teknolojisinin günlük hayatın bir parçası haline gelmesi ve 2000'lerde sosyal medya kanallarının kuruluşu gibi gelişmelerle 21. yüzyılda medyanın belirgin şekilde dönüştüğü; "yeni medya" olarak tanımlanan farklı bir ortamın doğduğu görülmektedir. Mimarlık medyası da hem sahip olduğu geleneksel kanalların yaşadığı değişimler hem de ortaya çıkan yeni nesil yayınlar ile bu dönüşümün yansımalarını taşımaktadır. 
Çalışma kapsamında derinlemesine görüşme yöntemi kullanılarak Türkiye'de mimari yayıncılık alanında çalışmış veya çalışmaya devam eden kişilerden görüşler toplanmıştır. Bu görüşler, önceden kurgulanan araştırma sorularına ve kavramlarına göre tezin çeşitli bölümlerinde üretilen tartışmalara dahil edilmiştir.
Bu doğrultuda tez çalışması yeni medya teknolojilerinin etkisinde mimarlık eleştirisi ve yayıncılığı alanında ortaya çıkan yeni durumları incelemektedir. Çalışmanın ilk bölümünde mimarlık eleştirisi ve medya ilişkisine odaklanılmış; mimarlık eleştirisinin tarihsel gelişimi ve günümüzde mimarlık medyası bağlamında eleştirelliği etkileyen çeşitli durumlar ortaya konulmuştur. Sonraki bölümde, tezin diğer odak noktasını oluşturan yeni medya teknolojileri; tanımı, geleneksel medyadan farklılıkları ve bu medyaya özgü sosyal pratikler açısından medya ve yeni medya kuramından faydalanılarak ele alınmıştır.
Tezin üçüncü bölümünde, günümüzde mimarlık medyası pratikleri ve kullanım alışkanlıkları bakımından yaşanan değişimler, derinlemesine görüşmelerden elde edilen verilerin ışığında tartışılmıştır. Dördüncü bölümde ise yeni medya ortamını mimarlık eleştirisi ve yayıncılığı çerçevesinde değerlendirmek için hem mimarlık medyası hem de medya ve iletişim kuramında önemli yeri olan 10 kavram belirlenmiştir. Her bir kavram için tanımlar ve bugüne kadar üretilmiş tartışmalar, derinlemesine görüşme yöntemiyle elde edilen görüşler eşliğinde sunulmuştur. Çalışmada, devamlı bir dönüşüm içinde olan medya ortamı ve tartışmalarından hareketle mimarlık eleştirisi ve yayıncılığının döneme ait manzarasını yakalamaya çalışılmıştır.

Abstract:
Historically, architectural media and publishing have provided the primary tools for the production and dissemination of knowledge in architecture. As a practice of knowledge and thought, architectural criticism and theory have always been closely related to media and publishing. Numerous printed material such as books, magazines, monographs, portfolios by architects and for architects have been academically studied in relation to architectural theory and criticism. Today however, architectural media as well as all media practices are in a significant turning point. Developments such as the progression of computer technologies since the 1960s, internet technology becoming a part of daily life at the end of the century and the founding of social media platforms in the 2000s have marked the transformation of media in 21st century and the birth of a different environment defined as "new media". As can be observed from the changes in traditional media channels and emergence of new generation publications, architectural media also bears the signs of this transformation. 
In the context of this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with professionals who have worked or have been working in the field of architectural publishing in Turkey. The in-depth interviews were conducted using a fixed set of questions which were prepared prior to the meetings, in line with the theoretical framework of the research. Participants were asked to share their personal experience, observations and opinions. The ideas put forward by the participants in the interviews were later coded and categorized according to the topics and conceptualizations developed in advance, yielding to qualitative data on the current situation of architectural media and user habits. An approach based on grounded theory was adopted while collecting and interpreting the data and analyzing the interview transcripts. 
Interview participants were chosen among professionals who have worked in different fields of architectural publishing, such as printed media, digital media, periodicals etc., in order to collect a comprehensive set of opinions on the process of digitalization in publishing. The list of participants comprises 11 names including Zafer Akay, Banu Binat, Hülya Ertaş, Pınar Gökbayrak, Doğan Hasol, Ömer Kanıpak, Yasemin Keskin Enginöz, Neslihan Şık, Uğur Tanyeli, Bülent Tanju and Banu Uçak. The arguments collected in these interviews have been incorporated into the discussions made in different chapters of the thesis, according to the previously constructed research questions and concepts. 
Accordingly, this thesis study examines the new conditions emerging in the fields of architectural criticism and publishing under the influence of new media technologies. The second chapter focuses on the relation between architectural criticism and media, introducing the historical development of architectural criticism and theory, as well as various factors affecting criticism in the context of architectural media. The factors emphasized in this chapter are deduced from an investigation on 3 different issues of periodicals published after 2010: OASE's 2010 issue themed "Constructing Criticism", Volume's 2013 issue themed "Ways to Be Critical" and XXI's 2015 issue themed "How to criticize buildings? Swimming in Murky Waters". An analysis on the content of these issues has shown that there are 5 main factors affecting criticism in architectural media, which can be listed as follows: the principle of objectivity, financial determinants, changing forms of representation, identity of the critic and the star architect phenomenon.
In the next chapter, new media technologies are discussed in terms of their definitions, difference from traditional media and particular social practices observed in this kind of media, by utilizing theories from the field. Significant theories put forward by new media researchers are reviewed in order to underline the interdisciplinary nature of this academic research. 
In the fourth chapter, contemporary architectural media pratices and the evolution of user habits are discussed in light of information gathered during the in-depth interviews. The data collected in the interviews are grouped under 4 topics: habits of architectural publication viewership in digital media, argumentation in printed and digital media, relations between new media and publishing practices, and the use of social media. It is concluded that viewership of architectural publications have become fragmented and inconsistent, since many interview participants use words such as "checking" and "scanning" to describe their behavior as a reader/viewer. On the other hand forums and similar platforms on digital media are regarded to be as much a space for argumentation as printed media, eventhough the nature of the argument is thought to differ in these platforms. All participants acknowledge particular relationships to digital media in their publishing practices, especially pointing out the significance of social media in the dissemination of their production. However the relationship formed with social media platforms seem to be based on personal preference and priorities. This is in line with new media theories which claim the technology itsel is individuative.
In order to evaluate new media within the frame of architectural criticism and publishing, the fourth chapter comprises 10 concepts, which are significant in terms of both architectural media and the fields of media and communications. For each concept, definitions and discussions are presented, accompanied by comments from in-depth interviews. 
Being a relatively recent field of research, new concepts were required in order to discuss new media in relation to architectural criticism and publishing. This method based on the use of concepts, which was borrowed from previous research in the field of new media studies, can only yield a partial understanding, since a large set of concepts are required in order to reach a complete understanding of any phenomenon. Also it is imperative to explain clearly how each concept is interpreted. Ultimately, concepts become tools to bring a systematical approach to a new and disorganized field of discussion. Drawing from previous research on new media, a new set of concepts were formulated by combining those from new media theory with communication and publishing, which is made up of the following concepts: access, interactivity, participation, customization, control, hierarchy, archive, author, censorship and editorship.
In the last chapter, projections into the future of architectural media and publishing were discussed alongside the assesment of previous chapters. After the discussions from literature and data from interviews were grouped under each concept, it was concluded that there are both opportunities and threats caused by each one. Among the most significant opportunities is the ability to reach large masses with little effort, minimizing publishing costs, democratizing media production and opening a large platform for independent collective or personal creativity.
However the vast and chaotic nature of the data found in new media archives constitute one of the most significant threats in the field of media. Reducing hierarchical roles and control mechanisms such as editors and authors to mere algorithms can cause problems in the accumulation of data and formation of knowledge, making the concept of "media literacy" more important than ever. Another threat is the forming of "echo chambers" among the users of media, which prevent the viewers' access to new and opposing ideas, forming a huge barrier between viewers and criticism. Such threats posed by new media technologies mean that editorship and content management have become even more essential, revealing that a new light needs to be shed on these actors in media production.
The study aims to capture a snapshot of architectural criticism and publishing environment of its period, with reference to the everchanging media landscape and its controversies. It seems obvious that architecture and architectural media will keep evolving with digital technologies. In order to find solutions to the problems surrounding architectural criticism and media in the 21st century, the discourse on new media should be enriched and diversified.