Conspicuous consumption tendencies of Instagram users: A research on Anadolu University Faculty of Communication Sciences students

In this research, the conspicuous consumption tendencies of Faculty of Communication Sciences of Anadolu University students on Instagram as a social media platform were examined in terms of social acceptance needs, hedonic consumption and brand awareness variables. In the study conducted with the correlational survey model, it was tested whether the need for social acceptance has a mediating role in the effect of conspicuous consumption tendency on brand awareness and hedonic consumption. On the other hand, whether hedonic consumption has a mediating role in the effect of conspicuous consumption tendency on brand awareness is also examined. In addition, whether the demographic characteristics of the students have a role on these variables was examined. The participants of the research are students who are enrolled in Anadolu University Faculty of Communication Sciences in the 2021-2022 academic year and voluntarily participated in the research survey. As a result of the analyzes carried out with the data of 396 students, the findings showed that the students shared on Instagram for the most sharing satisfaction, while the need for social acceptance and hedonic consumption were high in the shared posts. In addition, it has been determined that the conspicuous consumption tendency has an effect on the need for social acceptance, hedonic consumption and brand awareness. In addition, it has been determined that the need for social acceptance has an effect on hedonic consumption and brand awareness. According to the findings, the need for social acceptance has a mediating role in the effect of conspicuous consumption tendency on hedonic consumption and brand awareness, while hedonic consumption has a mediating role in the effect of conspicuous consumption tendency on brand awareness. Findings related to the research were discussed and suggestions for future research were presented. Keywords: Instagram, Conspicuous consumption, Need for social acceptance, Brand awareness, Hedonic consumption