After the attacks that took place in schools in Maraş and Urfa (Riha), the role of the TV series sector and media content in legitimizing violence has once again become a subject of debate. Mafia relations are repeatedly reproduced on screens every day, the normalization of weaponization, and the presentation of brute force as a “solution” contribute to the spread of this culture among younger generations. However, these tragedies cannot be explained only by what appears on television screens; the deepening economic crisis, a growing sense of hopelessness about the future, the biased attitude of regulatory institutions, and the institutionalization of violence as a form of governance also emerge as key elements feeding this process.
For precisely these reasons, directors Orhan İnce and Veysi Altay note that while the influence of television series and films cannot be denied, responsibility cannot be placed on these productions alone.
“Saying it happens only because of TV series is not correct”
Director and screenwriter Orhan Ince, evaluating the role of productions in the development of a culture of violence, drew attention to the multidimensional nature of the issue and described the damage that such content has caused to younger generations over many years: “These are outcomes shaped by many factors, including family, education, society, economic conditions, individual psychology, digital environments, and social surroundings. But especially the kinds of TV series that have contributed to the corruption of society over many years have certainly played a role in encouraging these kinds of behaviors among children and young people. It is not only about encouraging people to kill; they also contribute to many other negative behaviors. In this sense, films and TV series do have an influence. But saying that it happens only because of them is not correct, in my opinion.”
“Violence is not accidental”
Director Veysi Altay, who views acts of violence not as individual deviations but as reflections of an institutionalized structure, analyzed the social roots of violent practices in Turkey as follows: “The recent school massacres in Maraş and Riha cannot be explained as individual deviations or ‘moments of madness.’ These events are direct products of the increasingly institutionalized practice of violence in Turkey. Violence in Turkey is not an exception; on the contrary, it is a systematic method and a controlled mechanism. The latest incidents are also a reflection of this.”
Altay also pointed out that media and television productions have turned violence into a natural part of everyday life and that younger generations are shaped by this language: “Today in Turkey, violence exists not only on the streets; it is reproduced every day in the media, the education system, state institutions, public discourse, and everyday practices in increasingly systematic ways. Television programs, series, and daytime shows normalize violence against women, insults, humiliation, and threatening language, turning them into a ‘natural’ part of social relations.
The repeated circulation of violence against women and discriminatory discourse unfortunately serves to strengthen the ideological foundation of this system. In this context, the media, drawing its power from the state, has gone beyond being merely an entertainment tool and has become a mechanism that reproduces existing relations of power and violence.
Presenting violence as a method of solving problems reinforces the idea that the strong are always right across society, especially among young people. As young people grow up within these narratives, they learn to look for solutions not in dialogue, but in pressure and the use of force.”
“This is not deterioration, but the natural result of the system”
Finally, Altay emphasized the economic, political, and regulatory shortcomings behind the tragedies in schools and criticized both the role of the media regulator RTÜK and the broader social deterioration: “Looking at the broader picture, violence inevitably increases in a context where state-driven economic inequalities are deepening, a sense of hopelessness about the future is widespread, a large portion of society is labeled as ‘terrorism,’ and social support mechanisms are almost nonexistent. The easier access to drugs and mafia networks also contributes to violent solutions becoming more prominent. Under these conditions, individuals unfortunately become more open to adopting violence as a tool within the limited ‘escape routes’ offered by the system. Therefore, what we are witnessing today is not a ‘deterioration’ but the logical result of the existing order.
In a society where violence is so widespread, the production of more violence is not surprising. The real question that must be asked is why the structures that produce and reproduce this violence continue to be maintained, and who sustains them.
In other words, the recent violence in schools can be seen as a sign of broader deterioration in society, starting with the state itself. The state’s deep relationship with violence, distortions in the education system, widespread armaments, the level of social decay, television series and programs that glorify the mafia and violence, talk shows where so-called ‘experts’ speak aggressively about subjects outside their fields, the ineffective policies of politicians who fail to produce solutions, and RTÜK, which punishes programs even for the simplest criticism of the state or government but remains silent about the many programs that glorify mafia culture and violence, can all be counted among the main factors behind the tragedies that have left children and teachers injured or dead.”
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