Res. Asst. Dr. Ayten Bengisu Cansever Bayhan’s doctoral thesis published as a book

Written within the fields of new media, digital culture, communication sociology, and media psychology, the book critically examines how happiness in the neoliberal era has transformed from an individual emotional state into a managed, measured, and marketized structure. Through this work, Dr. Bayhan analyzes how positive psychology discourses circulating on social media platforms shape individuals’ perceptions of the self and influence everyday life practices.

In “The Promise of Happiness,” particular emphasis is placed on how the “feeling good” rhetoric promoted by positive psychology encourages individuals, through new media environments, to constantly improve, optimize, and present themselves as happy. Within this framework, happiness is discussed not merely as a personal emotional experience, but as a technology of power intertwined with performance culture, self-discipline, and consumerism.

The study specifically focuses on personal development discourses circulating on visually oriented digital platforms such as Instagram, revealing how the relationship individuals establish with themselves is being transformed in the digital age. By examining the promises of self-improvement and endless positivity embedded in online culture, the book questions the social, cultural, and political dynamics behind the desire to become “a better self.”

At the same time, the work invites readers to reconsider whether the positivity narratives continuously reproduced in new media are as innocent as they appear. Offering a critical contribution to academic literature, the book serves as an important resource for researchers, students, and readers interested in understanding the changing relationship between individuals, happiness, and digital media in contemporary society.

As the Faculty of Fine Arts of Istanbul Gelisim University, we congratulate Research Assistant Dr. Ayten Bengisu Cansever Bayhan, a faculty member of the Department of Visual Communication Design, for transforming her academic study into a significant scholarly publication, and we wish her continued success in her academic career.