A Qualitative Study on the Reflections of Turkish Tv Series in Iranian Newspapers

Media products such as television series have an important function in changing and transforming the mindset of society and directing and focusing social perception on certain points. Türkiye is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of TV series exports. Turkish TV series are widely followed in Iran, too. This study aims to understand the effects of Turkish TV series on Iranian society through newspaper reports. The study utilizes the concept of soft power proposed by political scientist Joseph Nye and George Gerbner's cultivation theory. The data set of the study consists of news articles on Turkish TV series taken from the websites of four major national newspapers in Iran. Qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the data and two themes were obtained: Debates on the Effects of Turkish TV Series on Family Institution and Gender Roles, and Debates on the Soft Power Generated by Turkish TV Series and the Political Effects of these TV Series. The prominence of the image of Western women in Turkish TV series in the context of family and gender roles and its importance in terms of upbringing theory is one of the results obtained in the study. It was also concluded that the image of "Türkiye that looks Western when viewed from the East" is reinforced through Turkish TV series. Another conclusion of the study is that Turkish TV series, as an element of soft power, strengthens the image of the country not only in Iran but also worldwide.