Medyada eşcinselliğin kapsamı ve temsili: 'Perfect stranger' filmi kullanılarak Arap ve İtalyan toplulukları arasında karşılaştırmalı bir araştırma

Recently, discussions and debates surrounding queer identities have gained significant momentum. Scholars are increasingly directing their attention to the area that concerns sexual representations in media, demonstrating a growing interest in this area. Nevertheless, a limited number of studies have delved into the realm of sexual representations within the context of social media. This dissertation aims to examine representations of individuals' queerness in social media, with a specific focus on the platform of Facebook. More specifically, the study examines the reactions of Arab versus Italian audiences toward the movie "Perfect Stranger". By employing both quantitative and qualitative analyses, including discourse analysis, this study reveals intriguing insights. The prevalence of positive interactions among the Italian audience vividly underscores their enthusiastic embrace of the film's thematic content. The narrative seamlessly resonates with their cultural values and convictions, leading to broad acceptance within their context. In contrast, the Arabic adaptation encounters resistance, with a substantial number of denials highlighting an incongruence with the conservative values ingrained in Arab society. These findings underscore the formidable influence of cultural context on the reception of media representations, showcasing its pivotal role in determining audience reception. Moreover, critical discourse analysis shows that the Italian audience's overwhelmingly positive reaction mirrored a unanimous appreciation of the film. This response indicated a seamless alignment with the cinematic representation of gender, creating a harmonious resonance. In contrast, the Arab audience exhibited a distinct sentiment of rejection and discord. This divergence can be attributed to the film's misalignment with the values and principles intrinsic to conservative Arab society. This observation accentuates the pivotal role played by cultural norms in shaping varying interpretations and reactions to media content.