From consuming societies to exhausted individuals: Conspicuous consumption in Turkish cinema after 2010

Potlatch culture, which comes from the period before monotheistic religions and has long been accepted as a dominant way of life on earth, includes the concepts of giving and receiving and returning what is received with more. Potlatch culture forms the basis of today's ostentatious consumption with its structure that brings prestige and reputation to the giver the more it is given. The study is based on the assumption that the act of consumption, which determines the social structure that can be referred to through the concept of potlatch in primitive societies, continues to exist on Turkey's changing understanding of consumption. With this assumption, the reflections of the increasing ostentatious consumption culture on Turkish Cinema between 2010-2020 will be examined through the consumption practices that correspond to the potlatch culture patterns in Torstein Veblen's 'Theory of the Idle Class', and it will be tried to determine how the characters in the films show status, 'consumption for competition purposes', 'waste for prestige and reputation' are realised around these concepts. The study, which was set out for this purpose, proceeded in accordance with the qualitative research model, and the research data were obtained through literature review method. The films analysed in the study were included in the study with the purposeful sampling method among those containing the judgements in question in the potlatch culture. In this analysis, what the characters consume, how they consume, where they consume and what they consume for will be revealed in a comparative manner. Roland Barthes' semiotic analysis method will be used through the films included in the study. This study is expected to be an important source for academics and researchers interested in consumption culture and cinema since it holds a mirror to Turkey. Keywords: Potlatch Culture, Conspicuous Consumption, Turkish Cinema