Tuğba Şengül Lik, who focuses on balancing the effects of technology in our lives and creating a healthy and conscious usage culture, presents her second book The Lost Person Behind the Screen, published by Pozitif Yayıncılık, to her readers.
Social entrepreneur Tuğba Şengül Lik, known for her content focused on how we can achieve balance in a digitalized life under the name @DijitalDenge on social media platforms, presents her observations and suggestions on the pressures of the digital age in her new book The Lost Person Behind the Screen. In the essays she has written, she vividly captures the striking effects of the digital transformation on our health, family structures, relationships, work life, and parenting. Topics such as the one-scroll age, algorithms, notifications, our choices, the wheels of pop culture, our fear of missing out, and romance in the digital age are all central themes reflected through Tuğba Şengül Lik’s lens. Rather than completely abandoning the sweet comforts offered by modern technology, the author emphasizes the importance of digital balance to be able to use it wisely, while also becoming self-sufficient individuals.
In the introduction of the book, Tuğba Şengül Lik describes herself as “a narrator searching for minds lost in the chaos of the age,” focusing on the weary warriors and lost souls of the digital era. She summarizes her work with the following words: “This book is the result of my attempt to explain how love, happiness, success, and values have transformed while living as a Homo Digitus in the digital age. It is an opportunity to restart the search for meaning for those of us who are struggling to adapt to this rapid change. The Lost Person Behind the Screen is no longer just my story, it’s all of our story… I wanted us to realize what we’ve lost while trying to exist in the digital age: which emotions, moments, and even parts of ourselves we’ve been chasing. We are all here, in worlds woven from pixels… We see but don’t touch, speak but don’t listen. The greatest irony of the modern age is right here: we are more connected than ever, yet more alone than ever. This book was written to remind us of what we are searching for where we thought we were lost. It’s not pessimistic, it’s thought-provoking but hopeful, and perhaps it will make you say ‘Yes, this is me!’ So, now, dim the screen light a little and get ready to find yourself among the lines.”
Inviting you on a journey to become your best version
In her first book, A Digital Addict’s Guide to Finding Balance – We’re Not Really From Here (published in 2021), Tuğba Şengül Lik focused on our rapid adaptation to the digitized world post-pandemic, the concept of “digital addiction,” and the importance of developing healthy digital habits. In her new book, The Lost Person Behind the Screen, the author invites readers on a journey to become their best versions. She emphasizes the importance of making small but conscious choices every day to start change, and through the observations and suggestions in her essays, she aims to prevent technology from enslaving us.
Foreword:
Hello, weary warriors and lost souls of the digital age!
I am a narrator behind these words, searching for minds lost in the chaos of the era. With paper and pen in hand – yes, still with paper and pen – I search for forgotten faces and trapped hearts behind the screens. We’re all here, trying to exist in digital cocoons woven from pixels, aren’t we? We don’t touch each other, we just swipe; we can’t hear our voices, we just write.
The greatest irony of the modern age is that while we seem more connected than ever, we feel an indescribable loneliness within.
I will tell you about the stories trapped between screens, the lost time, and the voices that can’t be heard. But don’t worry, this isn’t a tale of pessimism; rather, it’s a journey that will bring a smile to your face, open your eyes, and perhaps make you think, “Yes, this is me, this is us.”
Are you ready to discover that faint but alive self behind the screen? Then, sit back, dim the light of your screen, and get ready to find me, you, and the real us behind the screens among these lines.
Back Cover:
The first step may have started with something harmless: Flowers. Nature entered our homes with flowers, but they were difficult to care for, their lifespans short. We thought, “Why don’t we make flowers that look alive forever?” And so, artificial flowers entered our lives, always perfect. But there’s a price to this perfection: a distance from the real.
We started with flowers, but it wasn’t enough. We wanted the scent of nature around us too. So, we began adding artificial scents to perfume bottles. Lavender, ocean breeze, or fresh fruit aroma… all within a bottle, just a spray away.
Then, our stomachs were targeted. Artificial meats produced in laboratories, genetically modified vegetables, made longer-lasting, more durable, and always available. Most of the food we see on supermarket shelves today is no longer truly a product of nature.
As our foods became artificial, our brains followed the same process. Artificial information, fake news, and misdirection surrounded our lives. It became harder to distinguish between what was true and false. The digital world’s bombardment of artificial information helped us learn about everything, while confusing us about what true knowledge actually was.
And here is the final point of this journey into artificiality: Artificial Intelligence. Machines now think for us, analyze, and make decisions. One of humanity’s greatest inventions, artificial intelligence, now challenges humanity itself…
This journey, starting with artificial flowers, has now transformed into a story of change, all the way to artificial intelligence. So, what have we become in this process?
About the Author:
Tuğba Şengül Lik
Born in 1979 in Istanbul, Tuğba Şengül Lik graduated from İstek Vakfı Belde High School in 1996. After completing her higher education in Public Relations at Istanbul Bilgi University’s Faculty of Communication in 2000, she pursued graduate studies in advertising. Following various professional roles in advertising and public relations, she continues to work as a manager in the telecommunications sector.
Tuğba Şengül Lik focuses on balancing the effects of technology in our lives and fostering a culture of conscious usage. Through her efforts, she contributes to healthier living both digitally and in the real world. Known for her content under the name DijitalDenge on social media platforms, she organizes training sessions and speaks at various events to promote healthy digital habits and raise awareness of conscious digital literacy. In 2018, she founded the non-profit Dijital Denge Association to raise awareness and create sustainable solutions regarding the societal issue of technology use.
Tuğba Şengül Lik aims to reach wider audiences with her philosophy of balanced digitization and is married with two children.
Book Title: The Lost Person Behind the Screen
Author: Tuğba Şengül Lik
Publisher: Pozitif Publications
Price: 240 TL
Page Count: 256
