Modern Forms of Consumption: Consumption Dimensions and Virtual Consumption
Author: Hatice Duran Okur, haticeduran142@hotmail.com
Department: Sociology
University: Inonu University, Turkey
Supervisor: Yasar Kaya
Year of completion: 2020
Language of dissertation: Turkish
Keywords:
Social Networks
, Consumption Culture
, Digital Ethnography
, Netnography
Areas of Research:
Sociotechnics, Sociological Practice
, Communication, Knowledge and Culture
, Social Transformations
Abstract
Social networks which emerged through web 2.0, enabling individuals to create content on the social area has become a widely-used part of the daily life and its effects on individual and social life are regarded as intense. Expressed independently of social networks and places, they are actually an extension of daily life. They have a significant role in the change of social communication type of social networks, putting consumption culture into circulation across the virtual channels, and its spread and reestablishment via its visuality at the forefront.
Starting from this point, the main aim of the study is to keep track of ways of presentation, communication and interaction of individuals on Instagram. The digital ethnography (netnography) approach has been used as one of the methods of qualitative research in this study. In this direction, in-depth online interviews were made with a total of 48 individuals, some of whom use Instagram actively with low numbers of followers, and some of whom identify themselves as bloggers or influencers with large numbers of followers. Data collected from these interviews, observations and field notes have been interpreted through descriptive analysis as substantive categories along with the visual sharing of the individuals on Instagram.
It has been concluded that factors such as distinctive features of Instagram due to the structure of the website, self-presentation and presentation of the lifestyles of individuals with their consumption preferences, presence of brands and firms on Instagram, Instagram advertisements, brand collaborations with the bloggers, influencers and well-known individuals and lastly strategies made by the individuals are quite effective in reestablishing consumption culture in daily life. Furthermore, it has been determined that needs are manipulated by the relationships and interactions on Instagram, as desires and aspirations are effective in buying products and spreading a hedonist and conspicuous consumption culture.
