The need for social approval directing conspicuous consumption in wedding and funeral rituals

The aim of this research is to determine the effect of consumption culture on the need for social approval and conspicuous consumption. For this purpose, it was desired to investigate the effects of related variables on each other in wedding and funeral rituals. The research planned in the mixed research design (quantitative/qualitative) is a descriptive research. In the quantitative part of the research, the survey technique was used as a data collection tool. Simple random sampling method was used in the quantitative part of the research, and questionnaires were collected from 850 people from Kırşehir and Ankara provinces who agreed to participate in the study. In the quantitative part of the study, the sample consists of people who have previously held a wedding ceremony in Kırşehir and Ankara and have a funeral at the funeral of a relative. The analysis of the data obtained from the quantitative part of the research was analyzed through SPSS 22.00 and AMOS 24.00 package programs. In the qualitative part of the study, a semi-structured interview form developed and approved by the researcher was used as a data collection tool. Snowball sampling method was used in the qualitative part of the research and 24 people who agreed to participate in the research were interviewed. In the qualitative part of the study, as in the quantitative part, the sample consisted of people who had previously held a wedding ceremony in Kırşehir and Ankara and had a funeral at the funeral of a relative. The analysis of the data obtained from the qualitative part of the research was analyzed through the Atlas.ti package program. According to the quantitative findings obtained from the research, it was observed that the consumption culture in funeral rituals had a positive and significant effect on both the need for social approval (ß=0.47; p<0.001) and conspicuous consumption (ß=0.40; p<0.001). Likewise, consumption culture in wedding rituals has a positive and significant effect on both the need for social approval (ß=0.58; p<0.001) and conspicuous consumption (ß=0.77; p<0.001). Considering the findings obtained from the qualitative analyzes of the research, the differences between the cities of Kırşehir and Ankara were examined according to the opinions of the participants. It is seen that wedding and funeral rituals in Kırşehir province are carried out depending on the old traditions with the environmental effect. Although phenomena such as globalization, technological developments, and changes in consumption habits are at the forefront today, it has been determined that the need for social approval is high due to reasons such as Kırşehir's status as a small city and individuals attaching importance to cultural elements. In addition, while it is seen that conspicuous consumption habits are at the forefront rather than cultural structure in Ankara, the effects of modern life are felt more. While the need for social approval stands out in Ankara, it is seen that this need for social approval has moved away from the traditional structure and is applied in a more modern way in today's conditions. It has been revealed that consumption, the need for social approval and conspicuous consumption are important especially in wedding and funeral ceremonies, which have an important place in Turkish culture. It is thought that expanding the sample in future studies will be beneficial in terms of culture and society. This research is considered to be the basis for future research and is therefore considered valuable.