The role and impact of television serials in transnationalism and cross-cultural communication: A comparative analysis of Turkish and Korean television serials

Media connects places, reducing the distance that separates individuals, countries, and cultures. Its major trends are said to have a delocalizing effect or to establish a new global 'place,' which increasingly people recognize as familiar. It is a source of the reflections of social reality, with varying degrees of accuracy, completeness, or dependability. The mass media are associated with many different aspects of identity (nationality, language, work, ethnicity, religion, belief, lifestyle) formation, maintenance, and dissolution. They can drive as well as reflect social change and lead to either more or less integration. The production and use of mass media are cultural practices that resist the universalizing tendencies of the technology and the mass-produced content. Television plays an active role in cross-cultural and political communication, gaining soft power, contributing to social revolution, and tying together nations of different backgrounds and cultures. Over the last two decades, Turkey and Korea have adopted a strategy of multidimensional public diplomacy whereby Turkish and Korean Television exports and capitalization have emerged as a public and commercial cultural diplomacy tool. Encountering the unidirectional flow of media (form the US to the rest of the world), this research focuses on the widespread impact of Turkish and Korean television productions in the context of social, psychological, cultural, and economic impacts. Moreover, it is covering the cultural exportation through TV serials, cultural-encounters, and capitalization—i.e., content sales, indirect advertisement, and media-induced tourism. Overall, three online surveys, two for Turkish TV serials, and one for Korean TV serials have been conducted. For analyzing Turkish TV exportation, the empirical data has been collected from the sample of two regions, South Asia (Pakistan) and the Middle East (Egypt). However, to analyze the transnational role of Korean TV serials, empirical data has been collected from the Turkish audience of Korean serials. The results denote that the majority of respondents preferred to watch historical and contemporary TV serials. Following the social, psychological, and cultural impact, the respondents have diverse opinions regarding its impact on their behavior and social lives, indicating the existence of both active and passive audience. A large number of respective respondents believe that Turkish and Korean TV serials are a source of inspiration to visit Turkey and Korea and buy Turkish and Korean products. The data reveals that the appearance of Streaming TV played a vital role in the expansion of media content to foreign markets. The main reasons for choosing Turkish and Korean TV serials among foreign content are Cultural Proximity, Cultural Hybridity, Fiction and Production Quality, Content Availability and Accessibility. Key Words: Transnationalization, Turkish TV Serials, Korean TV Serials, Cross-Cultural Communication, Cultural proximity, The Magnificent Century, Women Representation, Ottoman History.