@article{article_1508303, title={The influence of Turkish TV series on generation Z in South Africa: An exploratory study}, journal={Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences}, pages={35–60}, year={2025}, DOI={10.26650/CONNECTIST2024-1508303}, author={Coetzee, Mercia and Baritci, Fatih and Fidan Baritci, Zühal}, keywords={TV series, Türkiye, South Africa, perception of Türkiye, soft power}, abstract={The worldwide popularity of Turkish TV series has been steadily growing. TV series, which became increasingly popular in geographies close to Türkiye, especially in the early 2000s, reached a worldwide reputation in the following years, and this success made positive contributions to public opinion about Türkiye. This study examines the popularity of Turkish TV series around the world and Türkiye’s relations with South Africa within the framework of Türkiye’s changing African policies in the last quarter century. The aim of the study is to investigate whether Generation Z in South Africa watches Turkish TV series, to determine which series are popular among them, to determine how their perception of Türkiye changes after watching these series, and to contribute to the academic literature on Türkiye’s soft power in South Africa. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with audiences from various ethnic groups and genders living in different cities in South Africa. The study clearly showed that the participants generally had positive impressions about Türkiye’s culture, nature, fashion and people through Turkish TV series. Moreover, many expressed a desire to visit Türkiye based on information from Turkish TV series, indicating a positive change in perceptions among Generation Z in South Africa.}, number={67}, publisher={Istanbul University}