Turkish drama fans refocus social media obsessions on helping earthquake victims

On any given day, fans of Turkish dramas are busy tweeting about the latest plot twist of their favorite show or writing news about their favorite actor.

But the devastation in Turkey and Syria caused by two strong earthquakes has seen fans take to social media to raise awareness of the needs in both countries.

So far, at least 41,000 people have died since the earthquakes and this number may still rise. More than 35,000 of these deaths occurred in Turkey, making it the country’s deadliest disaster.

On Twitter, Instagram and other platforms, fans have been updating their followers with information on how to donate money or send supplies. Some have also expressed outrage at the Turkish government’s lax enforcement of building codes, demanding more accountability.

Fans have not limited their posts to destruction in Turkey. Some are calling on the international community not to forget about Syria and calling on the US to lift its sanctions.

“I think it’s human nature. If you feel a connection with people, and it’s a bit unfair, because unless we as human beings feel a faint connection with other people, we don’t understand the depths of their tragedy,” he said Sadaf Haider, a journalist from Texas. He reviews Pakistani dramas and movies for Dawn, a Pakistani English-language newspaper. But he also loves watching Turkish shows.

He said that what is seen as entertainment is actually much more: the characters in these shows feel like friends or neighbors. And even if some viewers have never visited Turkey, they recognize the names of the cities and provinces affected by the earthquakes.

“If we didn’t have that connection, we wouldn’t feel as close,” he said. “It would feel like a distant thing, a terrible thing, and, you know, maybe we’d give and then we’d like to move on.”

There’s no way to really tell, but Haider believes this connection that viewers have helped increase donations to aid organizations.

An overwhelming response

In North Texas, the local Turkish American community has been coordinating relief efforts in several locations. Donated items have come in from all over the state.

Inside a warehouse in Garland, a group of women sort and group items before packing them into boxes. Nearby, men push dolls stacked with boxes containing jackets, blankets, diapers and other supplies. Boxes are loaded onto tractor trailers for shipment via Turkish Airlines or shipping containers.

Esh Selvi, whose company owns the warehouse, said he is overwhelmed by the response.

“We were expecting three trucks in two weeks, and at the end of the first week, we have 10 trucks at this point,” he said.

Selvi said they have received a lot of clothes, but what they really need right now are heavy-duty tents and generators.

Carolina Acosta-Alzuru is a professor at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on the melodramatic serialized genre, including Turkish soap operas and dramas, some of which are broadcast on Spanish-language networks.

He said there is a noticeable difference in social media’s response to earthquakes.

“I follow Turkish accounts and it’s like two worlds,” he said. “The Turkish accounts talk about this. And the rest of my accounts in the US, Mexico, Latin America, no. But the exception would be the fans of Turkish dizis”.

To non-viewers, Turkey seems far away, he said. There is also a lack of knowledge and misperceptions about the country.

This is not the case for those who are hooked on a Turkish series.

“They feel close to the area,” Acosta-Alzuru said. “They feel close to the culture because they’ve been seeing these stories that are also designed to touch you emotionally.”

Acosta-Alzuru said fans also see another side to the actors and other artists, who have also been sharing information non-stop about relief efforts, some of them having lost their own family members.

Kerem Bürsin, a Turkish actor whose family moved to Texas when he was 12, asked for help in English on Instagram and Twitter in a widely shared video.

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Bank Swift Code Number: TCZBTR2A pic.twitter.com/QEkxjZN2FF

— Kerem Bürsin (@KeremBursin) February 9, 2023

Some actors were initially silent on social media after the earthquake.

“But his followers weren’t,” Acosta-Alzuru said. “His fans were already organizing fundraisers. They were doing the work, the fans, and I was like, ‘Wow’ … to see the fans rallying around the actor.”

Dizzy for Dizi, a podcast about Turkish series hosted by two Americans, has also been sharing useful information about their accounts. They recorded a special intro for their last episode, which was recorded before the earthquake.

“We just want to feel like we’re tangibly helping in some way, because it feels bad to enjoy their entertainment and to have created a community of people that we love and interact with because of these shows, but then not do what we can to help . at a time of great need,” said co-host Kristin Curran.

Eda Savaşeri, a reporter in Istanbul, said she actually learned about the earthquake from a friend in Seattle whom she met through her dizi watching. Other international fans have also checked it out.

Chirping from the rubble

It’s a very different scene from 1999, when the last major earthquake hit Turkey. Back then not everyone had a cell phone and there were no social networks.

“That was really interesting and shocking that people even under the rubble were tweeting, ‘I’m here, save me.’ And many people have been saved through these tweets,” Savaşeri said. “And my friends from dizi land [as I call them] they were tweeting and retweeting and asking for help from people they don’t even know.”

Savaşeri has an aunt and uncle who live in Gaziantep, one of the cities affected by the earthquake. They got out of their building alive and their building is still standing, but it is not safe to live in. So for now they are staying at Savaşeri’s house.

“Last night we were talking and my uncle said, ‘People will forget about this in a month. No one will remember,” he said. “Because people’s attention spans are so short now.”

Savaşeri said he has a message for the international community: “Please don’t forget.”

Thanks again to everyone who donated for the earthquake. It doesn’t matter if you donate to Turkey or Syria. It just matters that you are human enough to help as much as you can. It doesn’t have to be much. It only matters that it comes from the heart. I greet you

— Eda (@edsavaseri) February 14, 2023

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