Consumption preferences of university students: Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University and Çankaya University examples

The influence of the welfare state and the enormous change in mass communication have brought forward the concept of consumer society as a new phenomenon in the last fifty years. The concept, which permeates all the meaning points of life and is discussed in a very broad framework, has stigmatized its effect on individual consciousness as a socio-cultural phenomenon beyond being economic in a cultural pattern extending from individual habits to the social system. On the other hand, with the widespread use of media (especially new media), consumption has begun to assume functional roles in interpersonal relations. Thus, in addition to direct face-to-face communication, a new type of communication has been included in the daily flow of individual life as a form of cultural relationship. In this context, the main purpose of the study is to measure the effect of university students' attitudes towards fashion and brand and their expectations of prestige demand on consumption preferences, in parallel with the change in communication styles. In this context, the cultural industry approach of Frankfurt School was taken as basis in the theoretical dimension of the study. In addition, modern and post-modern consumption theories are also used. Within the scope of the research, a "consumption preferences scale" was created and the effect of these two communication styles on consumption preferences was measured through two sub-variables (fashion and brand compliance and reputation demand). For this purpose, a survey was conducted with 523 university students studying at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences and (Science) Literature of Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University and Çankaya University. As a result of the field study, three important findings were reached. The first of these is that consumption is a phenomenon based on socio-psychological as well as economic. The second point is that traditional perspectives in attitudes towards fashion and brand among the genders are significantly eroded. Another important finding is the differences in consumption preferences among young people by age ranges. The last finding is in the context of the effect of identities on consumption.