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A Post-Truth Documentary Example: The İsmet Ve Series

Year 2025, Issue: 14, 64 - 90, 27.06.2025
https://doi.org/10.56676/kiad.1640990

Abstract

In the post-truth era, how information is accessed and presented rapidly evolves, making humorous documentaries increasingly significant. Particularly in today’s media landscape, productions that convey scientific knowledge in an entertaining and thought-provoking manner have the potential to reach broad audiences. This study examines how the İsmet Ve series transforms the presentation of scientific knowledge within the post-truth context and what kind of impact it has on viewers. As part of the research, two episodes—“Evren & Bilim & Uzay & Dünya” and “Evrim & İnsan & Yoğurt & Çağ”—were selected to analyze how they engage with scientific knowledge and how their narrative structures shape audience perception. Additionally, 990 YouTube comments were analyzed using thematic coding to gain insights into how viewers respond to scientific content presented through humor.
Findings indicate that humorous narratives enhance interest in scientific topics, encourage critical thinking, and raise awareness of social issues. Some viewers noted that while humour facilitates comprehension, it also reduces the perceived seriousness of scientific content. The strong audience engagement in digital media suggests that humorous documentaries can be effective for science communication. Ultimately, the İsmet Ve series provides a valuable example of how scientific knowledge is transformed through humour and how this transformation shapes social interactions in the post-truth era.

References

  • Alpay, Y. (2020). Hakikat askıda, Pasajlar Dergisi: Post-Truth Çağı, 4(2), 13-16.
  • Aufderheide, P. (2007). Documentary film: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
  • BAFTA. (2023). Nominees for Best Comedy Series. https://www.bafta.org
  • Baudrillard, J. (2011). Simulacra and simulation (S. F. Glaser, Trans.). University of Michigan Press. (Originally published in 1981).
  • Billig, M. (2005). Laughter and ridicule: Towards a social critique of humour. Sage.
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • Brooker, C. (Director). (2022). Cunk on Earth [TV series]. Netflix.
  • Chattoo, C. B. (2018). Documentary and communication. Oxford Bibliographies in Communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756841-0207
  • Chattoo, C. B. (2020). A comedian and an activist walk into a bar: The serious role of comedy in social justice. University of California Press.
  • Chattoo, C. B. (2020). Story movements: How documentaries empower people and inspire social change. Oxford University Press.
  • Chauhan, A. (2024). Deconstructing true crime, reconstructing 'truth': An analysis of Netflix's Conversation with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Vantage Journal of Thematic Analysis, 5(1), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.52253/vjta.2024.v05i01.05
  • Fujimura, J. H., & Holmes, C. J. (2019). Staying the course: On the value of social studies of science in resistance to the "post‐truth" movement. Sociological Forum, 34(1), 1251–1263.
  • Fuller, S. (2018). Post-truth: Knowledge as a power game. Anthem Press.
  • Harambam, J., Grusauskaite, K., & de Wildt, L. (2022). Poly-truth, or the limits of pluralism: Popular debates on conspiracy theories in a post-truth era. Public Understanding of Science, 31(6), 784–798.
  • Hehir, J. (Director). (2020). The Last Dance [TV series]. ESPN/Netflix.
  • Hess, D. J. (2020). The sociology of ignorance and post‐truth politics. Sociological Forum, 35(1), 241–249.
  • Hight, C. (2010). Television mockumentary: Reflexivity, satire and a call to play. Manchester University Press.
  • Hight, C. (2010). Television mockumentary: Reflexivity, satire and a call to play. Manchester University Press.
  • Koch, J. J. I. (2023). The truth of reenactments: Reliving, reconstructing, and contesting history in documentaries on genocide. Studies in Documentary Film, 17(3), 320–337.
  • Kopf, R. K., Nimmo, D. G., Ritchie, E. G., & Martin, J. K. (2019). Science communication in a post-truth world. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 17(6), 310–312.
  • Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K., & Cook, J. (2017). Beyond misinformation: Understanding and coping with the "post-truth" era. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 353–369.
  • Li, S. (2023). An analysis of immersive communication in VR documentary: A case study of Planet Earth II. Communications in Humanities Research, 16(1), 110–115. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7064/16/20230535
  • Lima, N. W., & Nascimento, M. M. (2022). Not only why but also how to trust science: Reshaping science education based on science studies for a better post-pandemic world. Science & Education, 31(1), 1–20.
  • Lima, N. W., Vazata, P. A. V., Ostermann, F., de Holanda Cavalcanti, C. J., & Guerra, A. (2019). Science education in post-truth age: Metaphysical reflections from Bruno Latour's science studies. Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Educação em Ciências, 19(1), 191–224.
  • McIntyre, L. (2018). Post-truth. MIT Press.
  • McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.
  • Nichols, B. (2024). Introduction to documentary. Indiana University Press.
  • Palliser, A., & Dodson, G. (2019). Avoiding post-truth environmental conflict in New Zealand: Communicating uncertainties in endangered species science. Journal of Science Communication, 18(4), A05.
  • Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin Press.
  • Rhodes, G. D., & Springer, J. P. (Eds.). (2006). Docufictions: Essays on the intersection of documentary and fictional filmmaking. McFarland.
  • Roscoe, J., & Hight, C. (2001). Faking it: Mock-documentary and the subversion of factuality. Manchester University Press.
  • Roscoe, J., & Hight, C. (2001). Faking it: Mock-documentary and the subversion of factuality. Manchester University Press.
  • Rosenthal, A., & Corner, J. (Eds.). (2005). New challenges for the documentary. Manchester University Press.
  • Rotten Tomatoes. (2023). Cunk on Earth. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cunk_on_earth
  • Syofyan, D. (2019). Literary criticism in the post-truth era. Andalas International Journal of Socio-Humanities, 1(1), 25–36.
  • Valladares, L. (2022). Post-truth and education: STS vaccines to re-establish science in the public sphere. Science & Education, 31(5), 1311–1337.
  • Wang, H. (2022). Providing public access to archival materials and the problem of fact‐checking in the post‐truth era. Social Science Quarterly, 103(7), 1750–1764.
  • Webb, H., & Jirotka, M. (2017). Nuance, societal dynamics, and responsibility in addressing misinformation in the post-truth era: Commentary on Lewandowsky, Ecker, and Cook. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 414–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2017.10.001
  • Zemanek, E. (2022). Between fragility and resilience: Ambivalent images of nature in popular documentaries with David Attenborough. The Anthropocene Review, 9(2), 139–160.

Bir Post-Truth Belgesel Örneği: “İsmet Ve” Serisi

Year 2025, Issue: 14, 64 - 90, 27.06.2025
https://doi.org/10.56676/kiad.1640990

Abstract

Post-truth çağında bilgiye ulaşma ve sunma biçimleri hızla değişirken, bu süreçte mizahi belgesellerin rolü giderek daha fazla önem kazanmaktadır. Özellikle günümüz medya ortamında, bilimsel bilgiyi eğlenceli ve düşündürücü bir şekilde aktaran yapımlar, geniş kitlelere ulaşma potansiyeline sahiptir. Bu çalışma, İsmet Ve serisinin post-truth bağlamında bilimsel bilgi sunumunu nasıl dönüştürdüğünü ve izleyiciler üzerinde nasıl bir etki yarattığını incelemektedir. Araştırma kapsamında, serinin “Evren & Bilim & Uzay & Dünya” ve “Evrim & İnsan & Yoğurt & Çağ” adlı iki bölümü seçilmiş; bu bölümlerin bilimsel bilgiyi nasıl işlediği ve anlatı yapılarının izleyici algısını nasıl şekillendirdiği analiz edilmiştir. Ayrıca toplamda 990 YouTube yorumu tematik kodlama yöntemiyle değerlendirilerek, izleyicilerin mizahi bir anlatımla sunulan bilimsel bilgilere nasıl tepki verdiği detaylı bir şekilde ele alınmıştır.
Bulgular mizahi anlatımın bilimsel konulara ilgiyi artırdığını, eleştirel düşünmeyi teşvik ettiğini ve toplumsal meselelere yönelik farkındalık yarattığını göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, bazı izleyiciler, mizahın bilginin anlaşılmasını kolaylaştırmasına rağmen bilimsel ciddiyeti azalttığı yönünde eleştiriler getirmiştir. Dijital medya ortamındaki geniş izleyici etkileşimi, mizahi belgesellerin bilim iletişiminde etkili bir araç olabileceğini göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak, İsmet Ve serisi, post-truth çağında bilimsel bilginin mizahi anlatılar yoluyla nasıl dönüştüğünü ve toplumsal etkileşimleri nasıl şekillendirdiğini anlamak için önemli bir örnek sunmaktadır.

References

  • Alpay, Y. (2020). Hakikat askıda, Pasajlar Dergisi: Post-Truth Çağı, 4(2), 13-16.
  • Aufderheide, P. (2007). Documentary film: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
  • BAFTA. (2023). Nominees for Best Comedy Series. https://www.bafta.org
  • Baudrillard, J. (2011). Simulacra and simulation (S. F. Glaser, Trans.). University of Michigan Press. (Originally published in 1981).
  • Billig, M. (2005). Laughter and ridicule: Towards a social critique of humour. Sage.
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • Brooker, C. (Director). (2022). Cunk on Earth [TV series]. Netflix.
  • Chattoo, C. B. (2018). Documentary and communication. Oxford Bibliographies in Communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/obo/9780199756841-0207
  • Chattoo, C. B. (2020). A comedian and an activist walk into a bar: The serious role of comedy in social justice. University of California Press.
  • Chattoo, C. B. (2020). Story movements: How documentaries empower people and inspire social change. Oxford University Press.
  • Chauhan, A. (2024). Deconstructing true crime, reconstructing 'truth': An analysis of Netflix's Conversation with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Vantage Journal of Thematic Analysis, 5(1), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.52253/vjta.2024.v05i01.05
  • Fujimura, J. H., & Holmes, C. J. (2019). Staying the course: On the value of social studies of science in resistance to the "post‐truth" movement. Sociological Forum, 34(1), 1251–1263.
  • Fuller, S. (2018). Post-truth: Knowledge as a power game. Anthem Press.
  • Harambam, J., Grusauskaite, K., & de Wildt, L. (2022). Poly-truth, or the limits of pluralism: Popular debates on conspiracy theories in a post-truth era. Public Understanding of Science, 31(6), 784–798.
  • Hehir, J. (Director). (2020). The Last Dance [TV series]. ESPN/Netflix.
  • Hess, D. J. (2020). The sociology of ignorance and post‐truth politics. Sociological Forum, 35(1), 241–249.
  • Hight, C. (2010). Television mockumentary: Reflexivity, satire and a call to play. Manchester University Press.
  • Hight, C. (2010). Television mockumentary: Reflexivity, satire and a call to play. Manchester University Press.
  • Koch, J. J. I. (2023). The truth of reenactments: Reliving, reconstructing, and contesting history in documentaries on genocide. Studies in Documentary Film, 17(3), 320–337.
  • Kopf, R. K., Nimmo, D. G., Ritchie, E. G., & Martin, J. K. (2019). Science communication in a post-truth world. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 17(6), 310–312.
  • Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K., & Cook, J. (2017). Beyond misinformation: Understanding and coping with the "post-truth" era. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 353–369.
  • Li, S. (2023). An analysis of immersive communication in VR documentary: A case study of Planet Earth II. Communications in Humanities Research, 16(1), 110–115. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7064/16/20230535
  • Lima, N. W., & Nascimento, M. M. (2022). Not only why but also how to trust science: Reshaping science education based on science studies for a better post-pandemic world. Science & Education, 31(1), 1–20.
  • Lima, N. W., Vazata, P. A. V., Ostermann, F., de Holanda Cavalcanti, C. J., & Guerra, A. (2019). Science education in post-truth age: Metaphysical reflections from Bruno Latour's science studies. Revista Brasileira de Pesquisa em Educação em Ciências, 19(1), 191–224.
  • McIntyre, L. (2018). Post-truth. MIT Press.
  • McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.
  • Nichols, B. (2024). Introduction to documentary. Indiana University Press.
  • Palliser, A., & Dodson, G. (2019). Avoiding post-truth environmental conflict in New Zealand: Communicating uncertainties in endangered species science. Journal of Science Communication, 18(4), A05.
  • Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: What the Internet is hiding from you. Penguin Press.
  • Rhodes, G. D., & Springer, J. P. (Eds.). (2006). Docufictions: Essays on the intersection of documentary and fictional filmmaking. McFarland.
  • Roscoe, J., & Hight, C. (2001). Faking it: Mock-documentary and the subversion of factuality. Manchester University Press.
  • Roscoe, J., & Hight, C. (2001). Faking it: Mock-documentary and the subversion of factuality. Manchester University Press.
  • Rosenthal, A., & Corner, J. (Eds.). (2005). New challenges for the documentary. Manchester University Press.
  • Rotten Tomatoes. (2023). Cunk on Earth. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/cunk_on_earth
  • Syofyan, D. (2019). Literary criticism in the post-truth era. Andalas International Journal of Socio-Humanities, 1(1), 25–36.
  • Valladares, L. (2022). Post-truth and education: STS vaccines to re-establish science in the public sphere. Science & Education, 31(5), 1311–1337.
  • Wang, H. (2022). Providing public access to archival materials and the problem of fact‐checking in the post‐truth era. Social Science Quarterly, 103(7), 1750–1764.
  • Webb, H., & Jirotka, M. (2017). Nuance, societal dynamics, and responsibility in addressing misinformation in the post-truth era: Commentary on Lewandowsky, Ecker, and Cook. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 6(4), 414–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2017.10.001
  • Zemanek, E. (2022). Between fragility and resilience: Ambivalent images of nature in popular documentaries with David Attenborough. The Anthropocene Review, 9(2), 139–160.
There are 39 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Communication and Media Studies (Other)
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Nuriye Çelik 0000-0001-6368-1956

Publication Date June 27, 2025
Submission Date February 16, 2025
Acceptance Date June 17, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Issue: 14

Cite

APA Çelik, N. (2025). Bir Post-Truth Belgesel Örneği: “İsmet Ve” Serisi. Kastamonu İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi(14), 64-90. https://doi.org/10.56676/kiad.1640990