about şokopop
praised for its unique style, intensive archival research, captivating narration, and deep historical context, şokopop was founded by ekim acun in summer 2018. he was soon joined by a small collaborative team to produce content about turkish popular history and culture.
our mission
the 90s and 2000s saw tremendous changes due to information technologies and the transformed economic and political landscape of turkey. sometimes going as far back as the late ottoman period, şokopop investigated these changes through popular stories and figures.
in a society where every bit of culture was being erased and forgotten, filled with information overload and manipulation of the past, showcasing footage of a bellydancer dancing on national tv in 1993 could be quite political.
we were also an openly queer channel in an increasingly homophobic country, which brought both unique perspectives and significant challenges.
the collaborative process
şokopop operated as a small, close-knit team where roles extended across many functions. for the project, i contributed:
- archival and academic research
- script writing and editing
- video editing and post-production
- event management
- collaborative content development
we even created board games (kutu oyunu) and designed t-shirts together - the team’s creativity extended far beyond video production.
audience impact & recognition
despite never achieving mainstream fame, şokopop generated high engagement rates and passionate audience responses. typical comments included:
“i’m sure even these people know these details”
“you should put this on netflix”
these responses showed we were successfully making complex historical research accessible while maintaining academic rigor.
team dynamics & public presence
my friend and colleague ekim acun became the public face of the channel, though he always emphasized that şokopop was collaborative teamwork, not individual achievement. due to privacy concerns, i mostly stayed out of public appearances, with some exceptions.
media coverage & interviews
şokopop’s impact extended beyond youtube metrics to broader cultural conversations:
interviews & press coverage
journo interview: “şokopop magazin gazeteciliği”
examining our approach to entertainment journalism and historical analysis
cumhuriyet interview: “şokopop’un kurucusu ekim acun: sahte muhafazakarlık magazini domine ediyor”
discussing conservatism and its dominance in turkish entertainment media
mediacat profile: “türkiye’nin magazin çukuruna dalış: şokopop ekim acun söyleşisi”
analyzing turkey’s entertainment media landscape and our alternative approach
some television & media appearances
ekim’s ted talk:
internet show feature, including me:
a famous late-night talk show host praises sokopop on his program:
challenges & transitions
due to increasing self-censorship pressures and decreasing corporate partnerships (resulting from both financial crisis and our open queer identity), the project became increasingly difficult to sustain. these challenges, combined with the political climate, influenced my decision to move to germany in 2022.
şokopop represented a unique experiment in storytelling that successfully bridged academic research with popular engagement. the project’s impact extended far beyond view counts to influence broader conversations about turkish cultural memory and representation.