Bilgi İletişim Teknolojileri ve Ütopyan Bakış Açısı (5-19)
19
Watts J (2006)
Will Smart Machines Change
The Way We Live?, Campaign (UK), 24.
Webster F (2002) Globalization, Information
and Change, Technology, Development and
Democracy: International Conflict and
Cooperation in the Information Age, Juliann
Emmons Allison (ed) içinde, State University
of New York Press.
Woods M ve Woods M B (2001) Ancient
Computing: From Counting to Calendars,
Twenty-First Century Books.
Building The Knowledge Society (2002)
Report to Government, Information Society
Comission.
Bilgi Toplumu Politikaları Üzerine Bir Değer-
lendirme (2002), http://www.bilten.tubitak.
gov.tr/Web_2002_v1/tr/docs/dunya_bilgi_top
lumu_zirvesi/TUBITAK-Bilgi%20Toplumu%
20Politikalari%20 Degerlendirmesi.pdf. 08.04 .
2008.
A Crosscultural Serial: Watching Motives Of The Serial… (20-29)
21
ni, benzerlik, zıtlıklarını işlemekte ve konu ‘insani değerler’ olduğunda ülke sınırlarının, siyasi,
kültürel ve dini çatışmaların ortadan kalktığına ilişkin göndermeler yapmaktadır.
Bu çalışmada Türk üniversite öğrencilerinin televizyon izleme alışkanlıkları çerçevesinde ‘Yaban-
cı Damat’ı izleme nedenleri araştırılmaktadır. Bu bağlamda araştırma, kullanımlar ve doyumlar
yaklaşımını temel alarak üniversite öğrencilerinin ‘Yabancı Damat’ dizisini izleme motivasyonla-
rını ortaya koymayı amaçlamaktadır.
Anahtar sözcükler: Televizyon izleme motivasyonları, kültürlerarası dizi
INTRODUCTION
In modern societies mediums of mass commu-
nication continue to serve as a powerful social-
izing agent and sociologically play a crucial
role in every aspect of daily life. Although it is
sometimes difficult to realize, mediums of
mass communication in most situations consti-
tute a routine part of our relations with our
families and friends (Croteu and Hoynes 2000:
15-17). In our day, mediums of mass commu-
nication, as the
producer and transmitter of
culture in the process of socialization, under-
take a dominant role beyond facilitating the
individual’s social accordance process. The
results derived from the studies have made
television the most powerful medium of social,
structural and cultural changes (Johnson 2001:
150). Television is in the position of a friend, a
guide, educator, a mentor and a private teacher,
especially for today’s youth, who spend most
of their time in front of the free and uncon-
trolled television. As television is placed at the
centre of the environment in
which the young
exist, it naturally gains the status of an effec-
tive medium in the socialization process (Eads
2004: 14).
According to the results of the “Television
watching trends research” which was con-
ducted by Turkey Radio and Television Su-
preme Council in 14 cities with 4606 partici-
pants at the age of 15 and over and imple-
mented between the dates of December 22
2005 and January 5 2006, the percentage of the
subjects who trust television is 56.7 per cent
(www.rtuk.gov.tr April, 2006). This result
reveals the fact that despite all the criticisms,
television is still the most powerful medium of
mass communication.
Television serials are the most watched produc-
tion formats of television today. When looked
at the television watching
percentages in Tur-
key, it is observed that the increase in the pro-
duction of TV series has carried Turkey to the
front rank in the world in terms of watching
television. Turkey, which was formerly the
second in the world with 3.5 hours a day, has
reached an average watching rate of 4 hours a
day with the fury of TV serials and caught up
with the United States, which was the first in
the world.
The Turkish TV series ‘
Yabancı Damat’,
which was first broadcast in Turkey and then in
Greece with the title ‘Borders Of Love’ was
selected as the subject of our study for being a
popular TV series distinguished among the
other series broadcast on Turkish channels with
its high watching rate.
Yabancı Damat, which
deals with the love between a Turkish girl
(Nazlı) and a young Greek man
(Niko) and
which has gained a serious rating success in
both countries,
discusses the mutual attitudes,
relationships, similarities and differences of
Turkish and Greek Peoples in the context of a
love story and makes references concerning the
disappearance of country borders, political,
cultural and religious conflicts when human
values are concerned.
Nazlı is the daughter of a
conservative father who is strictly devoted to
Turkish traditions and the granddaughter of a
Korean War veteran.
Niko is the son of a
wealthy Greek ship owner whose family was
exiled from Turkey to Greece.
Niko and
Nazlı
fall in love and decide to get married. However
the frosty relationship between the Turkish and
the Greek Nations upsets this harmony.
Ya-
bancı Damat is not
only exceptional because of
its cast and theme, but it also reflects the Turk-
ish-Greek relations and conflicts shaped by
historical experience and the mutual attitudes
of Turks and Greeks. While
Nazlı’s and
Niko’s
family members disapprove their relationship,
Turkish and Greek mayors of the two cities
attempt to intervene and support the relation-
ship. These efforts of the mayors symbolize the
positive attitude of the state authorities shown
in order to establish peace between Turkey and