Infuluence of Palestinian cinema on creating public oppinion as an alternative cinema practice: A research among the students of İstanbul, Ege and Siirt Universities

In our developing and changing World, mass media takes an active role in not only limited with receiving and disseminating information but also in changing and renewing the present, simultaneously organising the masses, questioning the political and social order and creating awareness. According to mass media scientists, mass media has a powerful influence on affecting the public opinion. Alternative cinema approach which is included in mass media, while giving the narrator the power of self-expression provides the opportunity to have a direct access to his audiences without any limitation and being dependent on taboos and contrary to the movies made within the frames of trite-cliché rules of the main stream cinema which are confined under the monopoly of the media bosses, the alternative cinema practices are able to reach considerable masses offering new and different alternative without wiping away the present. Alternative cinema approaches, while conveying thoughts, ideas, dreams and story lines, whether lived or being lived, misknown, hidden or limited to the extent it is desired to be reflected, of the narrator to audiences he reaches, may have influence on the public opinion as a platform where the marginalized and disapproved groups of the society are able to make themselves heard. Accordingly, it can be observed that YouTube movies among the alternative cinema practices are able to have influence on the public opinion and may change the widespread beliefs and thoughts of society when used effectively. This study aims to measure the commutability of the idea widespread in the public that Palestine sold lands to Israel before the invasion, by YouTube movies. As a method, preview and final view surveys were conducted before and after the display of YouTube movies. The findings demonstrate that the sample group referred more to media than books and lesson sources for reaching and researching information, and also show that using YouTube is common among those groups. Furthermore, it can be concluded that the current ideas and thoughts of the sample group may be altered being influenced by YouTube movies which is the aim of the research. On the other hand; this thesis does not have any concerns over proving whether or not the common idea is true.