The second event of the RTC Projections series took place on March 12, 2025, featuring Dr. Aslı Ildır’s talk titled "Digital Platforms and Changing Audience Culture." Dr. Ildır, a postdoctoral researcher on a TÜBİTAK-funded project at Kadir Has University, discussed how digital platforms, particularly popular streaming services like Netflix, have transformed film and television viewing habits from the perspective of audiences in Turkey.
Dr. Ildır’s research examines the impact of digital platforms on the "on-demand culture" and explores how audiences’ content consumption habits have been reshaped by these platforms. The findings, derived from in-depth interviews with 30 participants, shed light on how the relationship between Turkish audiences and digital platforms has evolved.
The research particularly focuses on the cultural impact of SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) services like Netflix and MUBI in Turkey. Dr. Ildır highlighted that these platforms do more than just provide content; they foster emotional and cultural connections between the audiences and the services. MUBI’s positioning as a cultural gatekeeper and the creation of cultural identity among its audience members, who form a specific cultural taste by consuming its content, was one of the key points of discussion.
The event also delved into the competition between global and local digital platforms and how it influences audience habits in Turkey. Considering Turkey's strong television culture and its significant TV series exports, the impact of digital platforms on the media ecosystem was a focal point. Dr. Ildır examined how the competition between global and local platforms affects viewers' content preferences and shapes audience habits.
This event provided an important opportunity to understand how audience behavior has changed in the digital age, the cultural implications of these changes, and the transformation in the way digital platforms produce and present content. Participants had the chance to discuss how digital platforms have altered the viewing experience and the impact of this transformation on media consumption habits.