A study on the effects of virtual shopping platforms on the increase of consumer activities of individuals

In this study, the historical development of the consumer society and the change in the individual's perception of 'consumption' in this process are discussed and the change of the individual's consumption habits between shopping centers and virtual shopping platforms are mentioned. At this point, in this thesis research, which tries to reveal how the shopping platforms that shape and transform the consumption habits of individuals are perceived by the participants we interviewed, the sociological perspective that equates the concept of shopping with the concept of consumption, the way the concept of shopping is perceived among the participants is discussed. In the study, it was tried to reach the participants with the help of semi-structured questions with the in-depth interview method from qualitative research techniques on how shopping platforms with different characteristics affect the consumption behaviors of the participants along with the perception of shopping through the participants. The patterns of the consumption behaviors of the participants on virtual shopping platforms or in shopping malls and Street stores produced very similar results. In this study, where we investigated whether virtual shopping platforms have an effect that encourages participants to consume in terms of consumption expenditures, individuals state that their activities on virtual platforms have increased in recent years and that the pandemic process experienced in the last 2 years has played an important role in this increase. In this context, it is stated that virtual platforms cause consumption expenditures to increase. However, the fact that both shopping malls and high street stores and virtual shopping platforms are indispensable by the participants indicates an integration of the platforms rather than a separation in the eyes of the participants.