Local foods as an object of conspicuous consumption through the variety seeking and perceived symbolic status

Nowadays, with the advancement of technology, access to information about different local cuisines has become easier and interest in local cuisines has increased. Sharing local dishes on social media platforms also supports this interest and increases people's desire to know and experience local cuisines. Local dishes are a current research topic that is based on local traditions, local products, traditional cooking methods and presentation techniques, integrated with the traditional products and local culture of the local people, and has recently occupied an important place on the gastronomy agenda. Local dishes meet basic nutritional needs as well as; It can also be consumed for secondary needs such as maintaining health, environmental sensitivities, or identifying with a group. In addition, the idea that local and natural products are more expensive and inaccessible may lead to the consumption of these foods for status and ostentation purposes. This research examines the effect of conspicuous consumption tendency on social media on local food preferences. It aims to reveal whether the local dishes shared on these platforms are used as a means of showing off, especially today when social media platforms are seen as the most suitable medium for conspicuous consumption. While the research examines the tendency of individuals to use local dishes as conspicuous consumption objects on social media, it also evaluates the mediating role of the search for gastronomic diversity and the perception of symbolic status in this relationship. While studies in the literature generally focus on the relationships between two variables, this study examines conspicuous consumption, search for gastronomic diversity, symbolic status and local food variables comprehensively. It is thought that if local dishes are perceived as status symbols, they can easily become the object of conspicuous consumption. Again, local dishes have great potential for individuals who are looking for gastronomic diversity in order to be visible on social media. The population of the research, which was conducted using quantitative methods, consists of individuals aged 18 and over who live in Turkey and share food and drinks on social media. The universe was defined in this way, especially in order to make comparisons between different socio-economic groups. The sample of the research consisted of individuals selected from the population using the convenience sampling method. The sample consists of individuals aged 18 and over who actively use social media and share food and beverages. The survey form created via Google Forms was delivered to the participants via social media applications (Instagram, Youtube, WhatsApp, etc.). A total of 1362 people were reached with this method. Participants were asked a control question regarding food and beverage posts on social media. Participants who answered "yes" to this question were able to complete the survey. The primary data of the study was obtained from these 390 participants who shared food and drinks on social media. Various analyzes were applied to the obtained data with SPSS and AMOS programs. First, after analyzing the validity and reliability of the scales, the hypotheses were tested with regression and mediation analyses. According to the results of the research, it was concluded that the tendency for conspicuous consumption on social media affects local food consumption in all its dimensions and that this effect can be explained by perceived symbolic status and the search for gastronomic diversity. These results show that individuals' local food preferences may be directly related to the conspicuous consumption they display on social media platforms, and that this consumption is fundamentally based on the perception of local dishes as a status symbol and the search for gastronomic diversity.