Illusion of individualism in the new media age

Increased interactivity in mass media has deepened the illusion that exists in social life.The illusion that comes through the historical process has manifested itself in several ways. Individuality was experienced in an illusion; citizen understanding of Ancient times, in dogmatic atmosphere of the Middle Ages, and finally in the Modern human of the modern age. The illusion that exist within society are surrounded by the tools of communication that the individual has developed since its existence.Each communication tool has taken over the narrative and formal characteristics of the communication tool before it and has developed an increase in the illusion.The communication tool used was not independent of the current social transformation and developed a distinctive economic, political and social language.Beginning with the printing press, the emergence of the modern individual has developed simultaneously with the tools of communication, which continues with new media technologies. Communication tools that contribute to social transformation have also played an active role in reducing the individual to an object within the established industrial society. In every era people fleeing the chaos of social life or seeking information have been caught up in the mass media In the period when oral culture was dominant, bards and poets performed narratives, while novels and newspapers in written culture and television in visual culture assumed this mission. In our age, this mission is now in New Media tools. The New Media has revealed a new mass culture that, continues not to break the illusion. This new mass culture also consists of areas of interaction that are monitored by algorithms, where their collected data is continuously generated as commercial value. In light of all these, the study examined the illusion of individuality in the historical process. The increased interaction possibilities of the individual in the mass media have been explained by examples and their relationship with the illusion has been revealed. Finally, the illusion of individuality in new media environments has been examined through social media platforms, which are the area where individuals encounter it most. On the other hand, economic surveillance and limitation of interaction areas were discussed through filter bubbles and new areas of mass culture were revealed in detail. It has been revealed that New Media does not expand social and individual areas as stated, but rather perpetuates the illusion.