Cultural Capital and Digital Search Interest in Flagship Premium Smartphones: Ecological Evidence from Türkiye

Özet

Purpose – This study considers the ecological relationship between provincial-level digital search interest for flagship premium smartphones (iPhone Pro Max and Samsung Ultra) and indicators of cultural capital, economic capital, demographic-urban structure, and mobile digital access in 81 provinces of Turkey.

Design/Methodology/Approach – The study is a quantitative ecological marketing analysis based on publicly available secondary data. Google Trends sub-region scores make up the dependent variables; The data of the Turkish Institute of Statistics on education, culture, population, libraries, cinema, theater and GDP constitute independent variables; and the Information and Communications Technology Authority's annual state statistics provide mobile broadband penetration control. Analyses include Spearman correlations, HC3 robust OLS regressions, brand-× capital engagement testing, coupled and cross-effects panel models, outlier checks, and K-mean clustering.

Findings – Artistic engagement is a strong and negative predictor of digital search interest for both brands, and this relationship remains significant after demographic, urban, and mobile broadband access controls. Mobile broadband penetration is not an additional significant predictor; The median age is negative and significant for both brands. The formal brand × capital engagement test shows that there is no statistically significant brand-level differentiation between iPhone Pro Max and Samsung Ultra. Cluster analysis, on the other hand, divides provinces into four marketing segments.

Discussion– The findings should be interpreted as patterns of digital search interest at the provincial level, not as motivation for individual purchase, ownership, or status. The results are of practical importance for responsible targeting, consumer well-being, and critical marketing discussions in the premium technology market.