Cement champion Turkey not ready for technological future

The members of the technology industry, like the rest of us, are focused on newly set interest rates.

The value of the dollar against the Turkish Lira is one of the key elements that determine the sales figures of technological devices like smartphones. In recent years, we have witnessed a steep increase in the number of smart devices that are in circulation. However, the recent spike is likely to set figures back. The real impact will be easier to determine after we see the full effect of the Central Bank’s intervention.

The future of high-tech smart devices looked very promising a few months ago. However, now it seems that their rise will be delayed for some time – not only because of the higher prices but because of the new Internet laws as well. Many websites are being closed down via arbitrary decisions by God knows whom. The latest victims are Soundcloud and Vagus.tv. Both were blocked because the government didn’t approve of the content that could be reached on these platforms. History will very heavily judge those who impose these bans. They are holding Turkey back.

It is sad to see that the government fails to see that if Turkey is going to reach its 2023 goals, it can only attain them with a powerful technology industry and young entrepreneurs. However, by establishing the equivalent of martial law on the Internet, the government is hindering the young minds that could create our future. If you were a young person in Turkey, would you invest in technology and the Internet, which are constantly being harassed by the government, or would you rather invest your time in the construction business, which is protected by the government at the cost of cutting down the last trees and drying up the last clean water supply?

2023 will come soon enough, and we will all wonder why we couldn’t reach our goals. We are becoming a star in the cement-producing business, we are becoming a champion in destroying nature, and we are becoming the king of ugly buildings. It is all because the authorities don’t have a better vision for us. It is all because they cannot see what the digital world can offer. They don’t know about technological research, they don’t know about clean energy, and they don’t know about smart cities.

While we are discussing censorship, let’s see what Google’s Ray Kurzweil envisions. He says that by 2033, the United States will be able to power up everything with solar energy, becoming completely free of oil. He says that by 2020, people will be able to click and print clothes at home with 3D printers and by 2020, we will be able to plant vertically and produce three times the amount of food that we are producing now.

I would like to ask everything to our prime minister, all the ministers and all the rest of the authorities who are so busy banning websites: Are we ready for such colossal changes?

Will Turkey be able to be among the top performers when our textile industry is going to be destroyed by 3D printers and when our agriculture business is hit by the vertical gardens of the Western world? Do you have a game plan, or are you just thinking about today and trying to save your seats?