The Effect of Social Media on Prepared Food Consumption of Generation X and Y Consumers: A Case Study for Turkey

Year 2023, , 1 - 18, 20.03.2023

Bahar Aydın Can , Sait Engindeniz

https://doi.org/10.24988/ije.1060602

Cited By: 2

Abstract

In line with consumers' ever-increasing workload and time constraints worldwide, prepared food products have started to play an even more prominent role in human life. Thanks to the developing technology, Internet and social media use has increased. Social media has become influential in consumption decisions and growing in popularity and importance among consumers. This study aimed to determine and evaluate the level of prepared food consumption and social media use in Generation X and Generation Y consumers and examine the effect of social media use on prepared food consumption. In this study, Generation Y was chosen because it is the generation that develops with technology and actively uses social media. On the other hand, Generation X is the generation that follows technology behind. The primary material of the research consists of the data collected by the survey conducted on 687 consumers who purchased prepared food products and used social media in Kocaeli, Turkey. The study demonstrated their socio-demographic structure with frequency distributions in the data obtained. In addition, statistical analysis methods (factor analysis, ANOVA test, t-test) were used for data evaluation. A 5-point Likert scale was employed to determine the attitudes of consumers. It was found that prepared food consumption generally increases with the time spent on social media. Generation Y consumers consumed prepared food products more often than Generation X consumers.

Keywords

Prepared food, Generation X, Generation Y, Social media, Consumption

X ve Y Kuşağı Tüketicilerinin Hazır Gıda Tüketiminde Sosyal Medyanın Etkisi: Türkiye’den Örnek Bir Araştırma

Abstract

Tüm dünyada artan yoğun iş temposu ve tüketicilerin günlük hayattaki zaman kısıtları ile birlikte hazır gıda ürünleri hayatımızda önemli yer almaktadır. Gelişen teknoloji sayesinde internet ve sosyal medya kullanımı da artış göstermiştir. Tüketiciler tarafından popülerliği ve önemi artan sosyal medya, tüketim kararlarında da etkili olmaya başlamıştır. Çalışmanın amacı, X Kuşağı ve Y Kuşağı tüketicilerde hazır gıda tüketimi ve sosyal medya kullanım düzeyinin değerlendirilmesini ve sosyal medya kullanımının hazır gıda tüketiminde etkisinin olup olmadığını incelemektir. Bu çalışmada Y Kuşağı teknoloji ile gelişen ve sosyal medyayı aktif şekilde kullanan kuşak olduğu için, X Kuşağı da teknolojiyi geriden takip eden kuşak olduğu için tercih edilmiştir. Araştırmanın ana materyalini, Türkiye’nin Kocaeli ilinde hazır gıda satın alan ve sosyal medya kullanan 687 tüketici üzerinde yüz yüze anket yöntemi ile toplanan veriler oluşturmuştur. Elde edilen verilerde tüketicilerin sosyo-demografik yapısı frekans dağılımlarıyla ortaya konulmuştur. Ayrıca verilerin değerlendirilmesinde istatistik analiz yöntemlerinden( faktör analizi, anova testi, t-testi) yararlanılmıştır. Araştırmada X ve Y kuşaklarındaki tüketicilerin tutumlarını belirlemek amacıyla 5’li likert ölçeğinden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda, hazır gıda tüketiminin genel olarak sosyal medyada geçirilen zamana paralel olarak arttığı tespit edilmiştir. Y kuşağı tüketicileri, hazır gıda ürünlerini X kuşağı tüketicilere göre daha sık tüketmektedir.

Keywords

Hazır gıda, X kuşağı, Y kuşağı, Sosyal medya, Tüketim

References

• Akarcay, E. and Sugur, N. (2015). Eating out: New Middle Class’ Eating- Drinking Patterns in Eskişehir. Journal of Sociological Research, 18(1), 1-29.
• Arhin, A. O. (2009). A Pilot Study of Nursing Student’s Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty: A Generation Y Perspective. ABNF Journal, 20(1), 17-21.
• Arslan, İ. K. and Baycan, P. (2018). A Social Median Effect on Consumer Purchase Conducts: A Study on Success. Istanbul Commerce University Journal of Social Sciences, 17(33), 269-286.
• Asık, N. A. (2019). Factors Affecting Food Preferences of X And Z Generation Consumers. Journal of Tourism and Gastronomy Studies, 7(4), 2599-2611.
• Bento, M., Martinez, L. M. and Martinez, L. F. (2018). Brand Engagement and Search for Brands on Social Media: Comparing Generations X and Y in Portugal. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 43, 234-241.
• Boudan, C. (2006). Culinary War-The Geopolitics of Taste. Publications of Ayrıntı, İstanbul.
• Chester, E. (2003). Answering Generation Why: Learn The Management Approach and Employee Services that Resonate with Today Youth. Employee Services Management Magazine, 8-9.
• Calmasur, G. and Dastan, H. (2020). Factor Affecting Household Food Consumption Away From Home in Erzurum. International Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences, 6(1), 97-11.
• Canbolat, E. and Cakıroglu, F.P. (2016). Fast-Food Consumption Habits of University Students. The Journal of Academic Social Science. 4(26), 473-481.
• Celik, I. and Celik, T. (2020). Determination Levels of Consumers’ Consciousness and Behavior and Food Safety: The Case of Denizli Province. The Black Sea Journal of Sciences, 10(1), 48-59.
• Cemberci, M., Sudak, M. K., Ascı, S., Oz, S. and Civelek, M.E. (2014). Analysis of Behavior or Differences of Generation Y in Organizational Environment. AJIT-e: Online Journal of Information Technology, 5(15), 58-74.
• Dolekoglu, C. Ö. and Celik, O. (2018). Food Purchasing Behavior of Y Generation Consumers. Journal of Agriculture and Nature, 21 (Special Issue), 55-66.
• Eisner, S. P. (2005). Managing Generation Y. Engineering Management Review IEEE, 39(2), 6-18.
• Engindeniz, S., Çukur, F. and Yücel Engindeniz, D. (2006). Factors Affecting the Profitability of Peach Growing in Turkey. Agricultura Tropica et Subtropica, 39(4), 227-232.
• Engizek, N. and Sekerkaya, A. (2016). Analyzing Generation X And Y Females Based on Their Decision Making Styles. Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 13(36), 242-271.
• Gönül, S. and Karlı, B. (2020). Determining of Household Consumption Level of Food away from Home in Antalya Province. Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 25(1), 10-19.
• Hamsıoglu, A.B. (2013). An Application on Determining the Lifestyle of Consumers Who Consume Fast-Food Products. International Journal of Economic and Administrative Studies, 6(11), 18-34.
• Hanna, R., Rohm, A. and Crittenden, V. L. (2011). We’re All Connected: The Power of the Social Media Ecosystem. Business Horizons, 54(3), 265-273.
• Hanus, G. (2018). The Impact of Globalization on The Food Behavior of Consumers- Literature and Research Review. CBU International Conference on Innovations in Science and Education, Prague, Czech Republic, 170-174.
• Hennig, Thurau, F. T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G. and Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic Word-of-Mouth Via Consumer-Opinion Platforms: What Motivates Consumers to Articulate Themselves on The Internet?. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38-52.
• Hwang, H. and Nam, S.J. (2021). Social Media Use and Subjective Well-Being Among Middle-Aged Consumers in Korea: Mediation Model of Social Capital Moderated by Disability. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 1-21.
• Holtzhausen, T. and Strydom, J. (2006). Generation Y Consumers: Behavioral Patterns of Selected South African Students. The Business Review Cambridge, 5(1), 314-318.
• Kaderli, Y., Armagan, E. A. and Küçükkambak, S. E. (2017). A Study on the Factors Affecting Compulsive Purchasing Behavior of Y Generation Istanbul University Journal of the School of Business, 46(2), 188-210.
• Kadıoglu, B. (2019). Globally Increasing Fast Food and Slow Food Against Globalization. The Journal of Academic Social Science. 7(95) 204-213.
• Kamenidou, I. C., Mamalis, S. A., Pavlidis, S. and Bara, E. Z. G. (2019). Segmenting the Generation Z Cohort University Students Based on Sustainable Food Consumption Behavior: A Preliminary Study. Sustainability, 11, 1-22.
• Kleinbaum, DG., Kupper, L. L., Muller, K. E. and Nizam, A. (1998). Applied Regression Analysis and Other Multivariable Methods, London:Duxbury Press.
• Levickaite, R. (2010). Generation X, Y, Z: How Social Networks Form the Concept of The World Without Borders (The Case Of Lithuania). LIMES: Cultural Regionalistics, 3(2), 170-183.
• Mafame, T. (2019). The Dynamics of Fast-Food Consumption in A South African Urban Township Environment. Master’s Thesis, University of Jyvaskyla, Department of History and Ethnology.
• Mangold, W. G. and Faulds, D. J. (2009). Social Media: The New Hybrid Element of the Promotion Mix. Business Horizons, 52(4), 357-365.
• Matusikova, L. and Stanovska, K. (2020). Global Aspects of Social Media Perception by Y Generation in Gender Context. Globalization and its Socio-Economic Consequences, 74, 1-8.
• Menegassi, B. Morais Sato, P. and Baeza Scagliusi, F. (2019). Comparing the Ways A Sample of Brazilian Adults Classify Food With The NOVA Food Classification: An Exploratory Insight. Appetite, 137, 226-235.
• Meyer Foundation, (2017). Social Media Platform Comparison. Meyer Foundation. Available at https://www.meyerfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/SWT-Platform-Comparison-090414.pdf
• Miller, K. R. (2011). Consumer Behavior (Editor: Kelli Washington), Edition: 8, Miller & Associates.
• Moosburger, R., Lage Barbosa, C., Haftenberger, M., Brettschneider, A. K., Lehmann, F., Kroke, A. and Mensink, G. B. M. (2020). Fast Food Consumption Among 12- To 17-Years-Olds in Germany – Results of Eskimo II. Focus, 1-18.
• Nementh, N., Rudrak, I., Ymeri, P. and Fogarassy, C. (2019). The Role of Cultural Factors in Sustainable Food Consumption—An Investigation of the Consumption Habits Among International Students in Hungary. Sustainability, 11, 1-27.
• Newbold P (1995) Statistics For Business and Economics, Prentice-Hall International, New Jersey.
• Nuzulita, N. and Subriadi, A. P. (2020). The Role of Risk-Benefit and Privacy Analysis to Understand Different Uses of Social Media By Generations X, Y And Z in Indonesia. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 86(3), 1-17.
• Onurlubas, E. and Ozturk, D. (2018). The Effect of Social Media Applications on Purchase Behaviors of Generation Y: Instagram Sample. International Journal of Society Researches, 8(16), 986-1016.
• Permatasari, A. and Kuswadi, E. (2018). The Impact of Social Media on Consumers’ Purchase Intention: A Study Of Ecommerce Sites in Jakarta, Indonesia. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 6(1), 321-335.
• Sapic, S., Filipovic, j. and Dlacic, j. (2019). Consumption in Fast- Food Restaurants in Croatia and Serbia. British Food Journal, 121(8), 1715-1729.
• Sharma, S. (1996). Applied multivariate techniques, USA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
• Soares, R. R., Zhang, T. T., Proença, J. F. and Kandampully, J. (2017). Why are Generation Y Consumers The Most Likely to Complain and Repurchase?. Journal of Service Management, 28(3), 520-540.
• Sobhanifard, Y. and Eshtiaghi, K. (2021). Exploratory Modelling and Ranking of the Trust Factors of Messages about Organic Foods in Social Networks. British Food Journal, 123(2), 594-609.
• Sonneveld, A. (2019). Determinants of People’s Preference to Consume Food out of Home. Master Thesis, Wageningen University, Department of Social Sciences.
• Taha, V.A., Pencarelli, T., Skerhakova, V., Fedorko, R. and Kosikova, M. (2021). The Use of Social Media and Its Impact on Shopping Behavior of Slovak and Italian Consumers During COVID-19 Pandemic. Sustainability, 13, 1-19.
• Tengiz, Z. M. (2018). The Evaluation of the Students’ Attitudes and Behavior Towards Fast Food Consumption. Master Thesis, Tekirdag Namık Kemal University Institute of Science and Technology, Tekirdağ.
• Tutar, F. K. and Yazırlı, N. (2016). Household Home Outside Factors Affecting Food Consumption: Nazilli Example. Çankırı Karatekin University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 7(1), 367-392.
• TurkStat (Turkish Statistical Institute). (2019). Address Based Population Registration System (abprs). Available at: city / town center, town / village population. http://tuik.gov.tr/PreTablo.do?alt_id=1059, Access: December 20, 2020.
• Warde, A. and Martens, L. (2003). Eating out: Social Differentiation, Consumption and Pleasure, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Wolburg, J. M. and Pokrywczynski, J. (2001). A Psychographic Analysis of Generation Y College Students the Evalution of the Students’ Attitudes and Behavior Towards Fast Food Consumption. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(5), 33-52.
• Yıldırım, F. and Cengel, O. (2013). A Research over the Releationship Between Fast Food Consumption and Consumer’s Values&Lifestyles in Turkey. Online Academic Journal of Information Technology, 4(11), 1-14.
• Yoshida, M., Gordon, B.S., Nakazawa, M., Shibuya, S. and Fujiwara, N. (2018). Bridging the Gap Between Social Media and Behavioral Brand Loyalty. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 28, 208-218.
• Zubair, A., Baharun, R. and Kiran, F. (2020). Role of Traditional and Social Media in Developing Consumer Based Brand Equity. Journal of Public Affairs, 1-11.