Tying the Knot :a Comparison of Marriage Shows in Two Cultures

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to provide an extended comparison of two marriage-based reality shows Esra Erol'da Evlen Benimle produced in Turkey and The Bachelor produced in the USA. The approach used in the analysis operates through the notions of privacy and intimacy taking into account the fast-changing dynamics of media information and communications. The problem is seen through the prism of two different cultures and their respective social norms and unspoken laws. Reality TV as a New Age tool for self-promotion is analyzed together with hyperreal identities created only for the purposes of the broadcast. Content analysis and critical discourse analysis (CDA) are used as two qualitative analytical guidelines to study the research questions. in this context we see how two very different systems of values are established through the scripts of the two shows Esra Erol'da Evlen Benimle continuously complying with the principles of restraint and discretion and The Bachelor promoting values based on freedom free will and postulates of a democratic society putting forward individualism and independence. Also according to this analysis participants of the Turkish show seem to reveal more personal information about their lives. The participants of the American show on the other hand seem to reveal less personal information such as their financial status religious or political beliefs but exercise certain freedom in terms of expressing their feelings and sexuality.