The effect of social media tools on consumption behavior of university students: Instagram example

Social media, which has been rapidly included in our lives in recent years, is in a very important position for human life. Many people cannot prevent themselves from using social media in their daily lives. Instagram, one of the social media tools, is one of the most used applications. Instagram has connected people to itself day by day with its multiple features and causes people to spend long hours on the application. When sound is added to this application, where visuality is at the forefront, it has turned into a separate pleasure area for individuals. In order to survive, people meet certain basic needs through consumption. Individuals consume in order to meet their psychological and socio-cultural needs as well as their basic needs. The phenomenon of consumption is changing day by day and individuals have become consuming at every opportunity and in every medium.One of these channels is Instagram, which has become one of the indispensables of human beings. This study aims to examine how individuals and business/brands influencethe individuals who follow them by using the interaction power of Instagram in order to promote any product/service to wider segments through Instagram, which is actively used by many users today. Thus, the effect of Instagram on consumption culture has been tried to be understood and explained.For this purpose, the sample group was determined by using homogeneous sampling and snowball sampling. In the study, interviews were conducted by asking semi-structured questions.In the study, which was carried out with 25 participants, it was tried to understand how Instagram leads individuals to consumption. As a result of the interviews and analyzes, it has been seen that the people who use Instagram and their business accounts increase the desire to consume in individuals by promoting products through visuals. In addition, it has been observed that many individuals apply to Instagram to meet their needs.