Conspicuous consumption patterns of Turkish youth: case of cellular phones

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to examine the notion that people consume goods and services not only to derive satisfaction from them, but also to publicize their social status and show off. Design/methodology/approach – A survey questionnaire, based on a detailed literature review, is developed and applied to 691 university students at three state universities in Turkey. Findings – The findings mainly indicate that one dimension of conspicuous consumption, namely prestige, is an influential variable on social (indirect) benefit of consumers. Another significant finding points out that conspicuous consumption expenditures are observed in all social strata. Research limitations/implications – The sample consists of university students from three state universities in three cities of Turkey. A larger sample would increase the value of the paper. Despite this fact, the composition of the sample of students, who come from three state universities located in three cities and from all social strata, can be evaluated as a positive feature for the study. Originality/value – The paper provides beneficial research implications for practitioners by postulating conspicuous consumption patterns of students, who form one of the biggest market segments for cellular phones. The study also employs a cause and effect approach to examine the conspicuous consumption approach, which aims to enhance the notions of Veblen's approach.