Modern consumption patterns: Scope of consumption and virtual consumption

Social networks which emerged through web 2.0 enabling individuals to create a content on social area has become a widely-used part of the daily life and its effects on individual and social life are regarded as intense. Expressed independently of social networks and places, they are actually an extension of the daily life. They have a significant role in the change of social communication type of social networks, putting consumption culture into circulation across the virtual channels, its spread and reestablishment via its visuality at the forefront. Stating from this point, the main aim of the study is to keep track of ways of presentation, communication and interaction of the individuals on Instagram. Adopted to a digital area, digital ethnography (netnography) approach has been used as one of the methods of qualitative research as part of this study. In this direction, in-depth online interviews were made with a total of 48 individuals some of whom use Instagram actively with low numbers of followers and some of whom identify themselves as blogger or influencer with large numbers of followers. Date collected from these interviews, observations and field notes have been interpreted though descriptive analysis as substantive categories along with the visual sharing of the individuals on Instagram. It has been concluded that the factors such as distinctive features of Instagram due to the structure of the website, self-presentation and presentation of lifestyles of the individuals with their consumption preferences, presence of brands and firms on Instagram, Instagram advertisements, brand collaborations with the bloggers, influencers and well-known individuals and lastly strategies made by the individuals are quite effective in reestablishment of consumption culture in daily life. Furthermore, it has been determined that needs are manipulated by the relationships and interactions on Instagram, the desires and aspiration are effective in buying products and spread of a hedonist and conspicuous consumption culture. Keywords: Social Networks, Instagram, Consumption Culture, Digital Ethnography, Netnograpy