Research Information System
Thesis Type: Doctorate
Institution Of The Thesis: Istanbul University, Institute of Social Sciences, Sinema Anabilim Dalı, Turkey
Approval Date: 2022
Thesis Language: Turkish
Student: ÖZLEM ÇAĞLAN BİLSEL
Supervisor: Seçkin Özmen
Abstract:
As a consequence of the development and prevalence of new communication technologies, the distinctions among forms of media have started to disappear following the adoption of these new communication technologies by conventional media. The convergence of television to new communication technologies has made it possible for viewers to watch the programs they want whenever and wherever they want and follow many different platforms simultaneously. This convergence has changed and transformed media content and how it is consumed. Convergence, which makes it possible for television programs to be streamed on different media platforms, is a cultural process that is based on the active participation of the viewers. The creation of a culture through the active production of content on social media platforms by viewers, users, consumers, and fans corresponds to the conceptualization of participatory culture. With convergent media, viewers/users form an interactive participatory culture by taking part in the production and consumption process of media texts. Following the emergence of official social media accounts belonging to television dramas, which are a genre of television programs, opened by television channels or producers, the practice of viewership has turned into a participatory and cultural activity in which individuals sharing the same interests and cultures can gather, make comments, an ordinary viewer can share their opinions with many others including producers, directors, and writers, they can react to any development and scene in the drama, and they can even share wishes and make predictions about scenes that will follow. In line with social media usage patterns regarding television dramas, viewers gain the idea of users and participants, reproduce the shared content and put it into circulation, gather with other fans or viewers in an interactive sense, and disseminate information regarding the drama in question, ultimately broadening the universe of the participatory culture. Accordingly, in this study, it was aimed to determine the forms of contribution to participatory culture by the social media usage patterns of television dramas, the types of participatory attitudes and behaviors shown by viewers on social media, the degree to which they participate. The study was carried out with the participation of individuals aged between 18 and 55 who were viewers of television dramas and social media users. According to the results of the analyses in the study, which were carried out using the SPSS software, it was concluded that the social media usage patterns of television dramas expand the universe of participatory culture by feeding this culture, and viewers display highly variable participatory attitudes and behaviors on social media platforms for various purposes and at varying degrees.
Keywords: Television Dramas, Convergence, Social Media, Participatory Culture, Participation.