ISTANBUL: Media's Effect On Society

I might be a lucky girl or not, but until now I could not decide. I had booked my flights to Istanbul 2 months ago, not knowing about the upcoming protests in the country. Living in London and mainly getting information through the media, I saw pictures of the brutal actions of the police, using tear gas, the police vehicle TOMA, police batons and colour bombs. Shocking pictures from people bleeding with bruises all over their body and even people who have lost their eyesight from tear gas shootings.
I was not sure if I should cancel my flight and fly over another time, when the demonstrations have calmed down. But when would that be? Maybe in 2 weeks' time? Maybe even after a few months? I was also scared of bumping into the police, catching some of the tear gas or even running into someone with a gun. The picture I got from the media was terrifying. My friends told me not to go, I should not risk my life, you never know what could happen.

So I was constantly checking the news for a week, trying to evaluate the recent situation and deciding for myself if I should go or not. I contacted my friends in Istanbul, asking how everything is over there and they all seemed to say "come over, it is really cool right now. Taksim's Gezi Park is the place to go." I thought, are they kidding me? Don't they care about my life? Why should I go to Taksim right now, where actually everything started, the nation clashed with the police and everyone had to fight for their life? After getting the same answer from many friends who live in Istanbul, I decided to fly to Istanbul and see the situation with my own eyes, otherwise I would feel that I missed out on a very important historical moment for Turkey.