How Social Media is Shaping The Way We Eat
By Nathan Carey
In the late 1950’s dinner time was forever changed with the introduction of TV Dinners. These pre-packaged frozen meals were exactly as their titles suggested, dinners to be eaten while sitting in front of the TV. These new entertainment hubs became the focal point of many households worldwide. With television sets entering almost every modern home in the following decades, there was a clear shift in the meals people were consuming in the evenings. While not completely replaced by any means, traditionally cooked meals were being traded in for newer, cheaper and more convenient options. This paradigm shift can also be correlated with the rise of fast food restaurants around the world. A comparable shift is occurring in today’s food landscape with our growing adoration of social media. In a quick poll I conducted (250 responses), 82% of people admit to watching some form of media every time they eat dinner, while 16% admitted to sometimes watching content while eating. Whether it be YouTube, TikTok or Instagram reels, social media’s strong shift to video content seems to be impacting many aspects of our lives. Is this the second coming of the TV dinner? With the majority of people watching content as they eat, there is no surprise that a lot of the content itself focuses on food. Food review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor had long been the places to go to figure out where to eat. These days, TikTok and Instagram are full of influencers visiting popular spots and highlighting their favourite dishes. Speaking to the manager of a local Cork pub revealed that a video made about a particular menu item led to them selling out of the dish for 2 weeks following the publication of the clip. Food based businesses are of course conscious of the power of social media and many seek to harness it for positive publicity themselves making videos with staff and boosting engagements.
Between food reviews, ‘What I Eat In A Day’ or ’10 Food hacks you NEED to know’ videos, many of our feeds are flooded with food media. This oversaturation of content can lead to noticeable changes in our behaviour outside of social media. Have you ever been shopping after a recent bout of TikTok videos and thought to yourself “Oh I should definitely pick up some feta and try that pasta hack!”. This example in particular sticks out in my mind as one of the most recent times I saw a significant shift in behaviour based on an online food trend. In many ways this virality is like a great marketing campaign, except what are the consequences when the product you’re advertising isn’t a brand but rather a food group? Of course this is presented as all in good faith and there is no harm in trying a new recipe (even if there are 10 other ways to make a much nicer dish that aren’t as flashy or convenient). However the viral aspect of social media also has a darker side. When recipes or dishes go viral they are often versions that are pared down for the sake of simplicity or aesthetic and do not represent the nuances of the actual dish. This problem becomes more evident when the dishes being shared have deep cultural relevance with each ingredient being carefully selected to add flavour and complexity to a dish. Many BIPOC chefs and recipe developers have spoken out on this phenomenon and I highly suggest seeking out those resources if you want to learn more. Of course there are no hard and fast rules to cooking, and fusing cuisines has been popular for hundreds of years – but there is a certain sanctity to centuries old dishes that deserve more than internet hacks or simplified viral renditions.
On the subject of altering ingredients in recipes, there is no doubt you’ve stumbled across ‘5 minute crafts’ or ‘troom troom’ videos detailing exactly how to cook certain foods like chicken… in tinfoil… in the microwave. Or perhaps how to create easy lollipops by placing a metal spoon with sugar on it over an open flame for several minutes. How about washing your fruit in bleach before consuming them? The epitome of safety! Food hack videos have been a staple of online culture since its inception but there has been a dangerous shift in the way that videos are being presented. Many of these videos with their brightly coloured sets, over expressive actors and general vibe are clearly aimed at children which makes them darker than they initially appear. Food hack videos garner tens of millions of views and easily slide into the YouTube and Instagram algorithms that target younger viewers. A quick glance at YouTube’s trending page will reveal videos with capitalized titles and brightly coloured thumbnails that give a false sense of what the videos themselves contain. Many a horror story has been broadcast on news media about the dangers of these videos with children and adults alike ending up with severe injuries after following the proposed ‘hacks’. When high production videos like these start peddling fiction as fact it can be hard to decipher what is truly real. The most dangerous of clips are often craftily hidden among 10 minutes of plausible hacks. Some recent examples I’ve come across range from making cotton candy in a washing machine to creating instant chocolate covered popcorn using ice cream and corn on the cob. The clips I’m referencing here usually involve clever cuts in the edit to make it appear as fact. These cuts often include placing many ingredients into a pan, popping a lid on top and removing it sometime later to the final product that is implausibly perfect. As adults, it can be easy to pick up on those editing tricks but as mentioned earlier, the manner in which these videos are presented targets young children who may not be able to decipher them.
To end on a lighter note we should discuss the more positive aspects of social media and the globalisation of food culture. A couple of decades ago finding a recipe involved searching through cookbooks or fishing for knowledge from parents and grandparents who had long perfected their dishes. Didn’t quite understand that one direction in the book? You're on your own. Some aspect of the meal not turning out like you had planned? Good luck. It was difficult to troubleshoot recipes when they were coming from a single rigid source. In today's day and age, one Google search leads to a treasure-trove of articles, pictures and videos detailing precise methodologies in immense detail. Didn’t quite understand that one direction? Great, there are hundreds of other videos explaining it. Some aspect of the meal not turning out like you had planned? No problem, compare your dish with thousands of others in every possible condition. These days there is a comfort in knowing that you're not alone on your culinary escapades. There are countless cooking forums where people can compare how recipes turn out in different kitchens with different tools and appliances. Recipes for dishes from across the globe are now at all of our fingertips with a couple of clicks. And while virality may lead you to a dish or spur your interest in cooking, I implore you to dig a little deeper into what makes that recipe or dish so special. Let social media be the reason you discover new rich cuisines and recipes rather than bland food ‘hacks’ that oftentimes do not work and can even pose genuine health risks.
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As always if this article has inspired you to cook a certain dish or try out a new cuisine, we would love to see it! You can post a picture on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #ExpressCooks to share you creations with other readers.