The changed perception of the hijab in new communication tools: Hijab wear practices on Instagram

The issue of veiling or the veiling of women in Islam has probably never been discussed to this extent in any period of history, as it is today. The subject of veiling, as an element that regulates the covering of the female body, privacy relations and especially the relations between men and women in the public sphere, has recently been exposed to a change in form and meaning with the presence of social media tools. Because in the last quarter century, fashion, consumption, culture industry, conspicuous consumption, etc. As these concepts affect every segment of the society, they also greatly affect the religious community's lifestyle, especially the veiling practices. Today, in social media practices related to veiling and veiling, especially in Instagram, a practice that evaporates the meaning of veiling and determining the area of privacy, which the Qur'an indicates as the religious source of veiling, is encountered. In this sense, social media (Instagram) practices prioritize appearing, being visible and consuming more instead of covering, which is the true meaning of hijab. The fact that Instagram, one of the social media platforms, has more visual content, makes it easier to be visible for individuals, brands or institutions. This thesis focuses on the use of hijab as a conspicuous consumption element by the historically oldest and most well-known 4 (four) clothing brands (Armine, Aker, Tekbir, Setrems) in terms of hijab clothing in Turkey. The ways of positioning the veil in the Instagram posts of these 4 (four) clothing brands and the way of positioning the veil of religious terminology are subjected to semiotic analysis in line with the concepts of fashion, consumption, privacy and conspicuous consumption. According to the findings, hijab clothing brands in Turkey present the hijab in their Instagram usage practices by turning it into an object of conspicuous consumption. The hijab is transformed into a consumption object that is commodified within the framework of fashion and consumption ideology, rather than an element that determines the basic framework of religion.