A netnography study examined consumer perception towards cryptocurrency investment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in cryptocurrencies, especially with the change brought to our lives by the COVID-19 pandemic regarding digital platforms. In this context, it is seen that many YouTube channels and Twitter accounts have digital interaction and produce current content about the circulation of digital currency that users have an intense interest in Turkey. Therefore, a three and half years (2019-2022) netnographic field study was conducted focusing on YouTube and Twitter platforms to evaluate interaction trends in the attitudes and behaviours of users about cryptocurrency investments in Turkey and compared to the pre-pandemic period. The study results show that, with the economic recession resulting from the pandemic, people and companies have an increasing interest in cryptocurrencies, especially in terms of saving and investment. This reveals that the increase in interest has transformed the pre-pandemic negative perception, and users have taken steps to interact and invest more.