Reflection of social media and digital advertisements to the purchase preferences of the X and Z generation: An analysis on the Instagram special

Since the end of the 20th century, with the use of the internet by the wider masses, individuals have started to take place in communities called social media. These platforms, where emotions and thoughts are shared with other users on the network, have been the most valuable stakeholders for modern humanity. Nowadays, people get organized on social media platforms for an opinion or a person and express their opinion for or against the relevant issue. Gathering the masses on social media sites is an opportunity for brands to increase their sales and reputation. Organizations that are aware of this opportunity include social media sites within the scope of their marketing activities with both organic and advertising posts and send purchase messages to users with integrated communication. Positioned as one of the most popular social networks in the world, Instagram hosts users of almost all ages. Users in Instagram differ from each other in many aspects, especially the movements of the users on the relevant platform, the way they interpret life, and their purchasing behavior. In order to reveal these differences more clearly, it has been tried to reveal the reactions of individuals who use Instagram, called X and Z generations in the literature, to the advertisement shares on Instagram. In the research, ten people from the X generation, five men and five women, and five men and five women from the Z generation total of twenty participants were selected by snowball method and using Instagram; A semi-structured in-depth interview. Nine questions were asked to the participants. The research is a unique study because it revealed the thoughts of the X and Z generation participants about Instagram ads, whether they are compatible with the generation definitions, and what effects the related ads have on purchasing.