Consumer behavior in the age of social media: The sample of Sakarya University

During this time period called social media age, online platforms that shape the lives of individuals and allow users to interact are becoming very popular. While social platforms have a great impact on individuals as news or information sources, they also transform marketing strategies in the context of entertainment, social sharing and content creation. In this context, this study aims to measure the behavioral changes in the purchasing processes of consumers in many ways by addressing the social media platforms that become an indispensable part of the daily lives of individuals. The opportunity to be included in the communication and sharing network by communication facilities makes social media sites the tool of a new generation of marketing. In this way, the social networks, which take the majority of their time under the influence of individuals, attract the interest of companies. Companies actively use social media platforms to attract attention to their products, brands or customers. The research plans to explore the perceptions of university students based on the idea that social media platforms are an effective tool for young consumers. The present study also aims to reveal the impact levels of social media platforms, which are the strong sources of digital transformation, on individuals. In this context, this thesis tests the hypotheses with a quantitative strategy applied to students of the Faculty of Communication who focuses on new media studies. In the scope of the study, a questionnaire was developed with 38 items consisting of 11 demographics and 27 social networks and a sample group of 300 students was applied. The data obtained from the survey with the contribution of SPSS program were analyzed by using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), LSD Multiple Comparison Test and Independent Sample t Test and Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient. The results of the research show that it is more possible to choose brands, products or services that are aware of the social media. In addition, the findings show that the individuals considered within the scope of the sample tend to use social media platforms as much as possible in their purchasing processes. For this reason, research shows that social media platforms have become a daily life practice and they contribute significantly to the attitudes of individuals to their behavior.