From Fact to Fiction: How Global OTT Narratives Shape Collective Memory and Historical Truth

Abstract

This article explores the impact of global OTT (over-the-top) platforms (such as Netflix, Prime Video, Apple+, etc.) on the transformation of past stories by employing dramatization and ideological framing. The paper investigates the influence of qualitative analysis and case studies from the King's Speech, Diriliş: Ertuğrul, and Marco Polo in shaping collective memory and historical truth. It ends with recommendations for media literacy and content accountability. This article also focuses on the global OTT platforms influence in changing historical narratives through dramatization, altering the mode of telling, and framing the stories. With the rapid growth of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and regional platforms, historical content is very accessible, but it is also more stylized, selective, and politicized. The study impinges the effect of qualitative analysis and the case study of The King's Speech, Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Churchill, Marco Polo, and How to Become a Tyrant on collective memory, cultural myths reinforcement, and historical truth perceptions redefinition. This research examines the emotional connection of the audiences with the reconstructed pasts and also traces major trends in the fictionalization of history through the use of different theories such as Cultural Memory Theory, Media Framing, and Postmodern Historiography. The research emphasises the problem of moral principles when presenting the past by revealing that the involvement of the OTT narratives has been the major persuasive ideological storytelling and soft power tools. The last chapter of the paper, in addition, gives the suggestion of advanced media literacy, better critical viewing skills, and the use of interdisciplinarity as the ways to work with the indistinct interaction between fact, fiction, and mediated memory.