Turkish popular culture is intimately related to the politics, economics, and social codes of Turkey. One person exploring this relationship is Ekim Acun, founder of the popular YouTube channel Şokopop. Wearing a mysterious white mask and disguising his voice, Acun begins each episode of Şokopop describing the show as “Turkey’s deepest tabloid pit. Feuds, polemics, baseness, and scandals are all here on this channel.” The series follows the lives of classic Turkish celebrities, from classic mid-century singer Zeki Müren and actress Türkan Şoray to 90s pop stars like Yıldız Tilbe and Tarkan. But the show is much more than mere gossip. While explaining these stars’ rise to fame and their famous feuds with other celebrities, Şokopop also describes societal transformations from the 1950s the present, sexual mores in the country, military coups, the rise and fall of the political left, the relationship between the entertainment sector and the mafia, economic liberalization, censorship, media privatization, and social conservatism. In this first episode of Medyascope English’s Pop & Politics, Kenan Behzat Sharpe talks with Ekim Acun about how Şokopop began, perceptions of tabloid culture in Turkey, the rigorous archival research that goes into the channel, the “sex film craze” of the 1970s, and current attacks on popular celebrities like Sezen Aksu and Gülşen.
Bize destek olun
Medyascope sizlerin sayesinde bağımsızlığını koruyor, sizlerin desteğiyle 50’den fazla çalışanı ile, Türkiye ve dünyada olup bitenleri sizlere aktarabiliyor.
Bilgiye erişim ücretsiz olmalı. Bilgiye erişim eşit olmalı. Haberlerimiz herkese ulaşmalı. Bu yüzden bugün, Medyascope’a destek olmak için doğru zaman. İster az ister çok, her katkınız bizim için çok değerli. Bize destek olun, sizinle güçlenelim.
