The effect of social media on generation Z university students preference to purchase products and services

With the introduction of the computer into our lives, it has become a technological device that has become a necessity today and that we should use in almost every aspect of our lives. This enormous technological device has created a global communication network called the internet (public network) by connecting computers to each other in the process. Thus, the internet has enabled the rapid interaction and integration of countries and societies by providing global communication about the economic, social, cultural, technological and political structure of the world. It has gained importance to produce and disseminate various social media tools in the internet environment so that communities can communicate with each other. Thus, an instant and effective communication environment was created between people on a global scale. The interaction created by the internet in the globalizing world has paved the way for the formation of different behavioral models compared to previous generations. By creating a rapid globalization environment, social media has played an important role in the formation of the same characteristic features and the emergence of similar needs in most of the Z generation. For this reason, Generation Z has behaviorally similar characteristics compared to other generations, as they were born and raised in the world of internet and social media. This generation shows more active use of social media compared to other generations. Generation Z, which integrates with the internet, prefers technological products that make their lives easier while shopping. This situation makes the Z generation, which has different needs in marketing strategies, a strategic target point for various individuals, institutions and organizations that see social media as a market area. In this study, it has been tried to measure how social media affects the purchasing behavior of generation Z consumers (Cohen-Almagor, 2013).