#Foodporn, how does it influence you?
The effect of food and health related Instagram posts on our food choices.
Have you ever been affected by something you saw while scrolling through your Instagram feed? Was your body and health image ever affected in a way, because of this? The internet, social media and therefore Instagram have taken over a big part of our lives in the past couple of years, and their influence is ever increasing. Because of this, it is important for us to be aware of the effects of Instagram. It is proven that the extensive use of Instagram can lead to depression and eating disorders (Turner & Lefevre, 2017), by, for example, constantly seeing photos of men and women with the perfect bodies and lives. But we wondered whether the same applied to food and health related posts. Would this really affect people that much? That is why we came up with the following research question: “How do Instagram users aged between 18-25 perceive the effects of food and health related Instagram content on their own food choices?”
In the following chapter, we will give you more insight into our research and the outcomes of it. With this information, we hope to make you more aware of the effects and impact Instagram can have on your life.
To answer our research question, we have conducted a qualitative research on the basis of interviews with several participants between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. Based on these interviews, our analysis showed several themes and patterns. The results that we have obtained from this analysis show that the effects of Instagram are divided between direct and indirect.
Let’s just jump right into our findings, the direct effects of Instagram. These were very easy to distinguish because they lay upon what our participants were saying in the interviews. All of the found direct effects have something to do with what is eaten. Our research has shown that users are very likely to go out for dinner at a restaurant that is actively being promoted via Instagram. Our participants also showed great interest in buying food that they have seen on Instagram while scrolling through food related Instagram pages, but this is mostly common with the healthier foods that they see on the internet. The purchase of healthy foods that you see coming by on Instagram goes hand in hand with trying out new ingredients. Ingredients that you may have not known about before, that is how Instagram broadens our knowledge about food and many more things, a real advantage. These new ingredients are mostly fruits and vegetables, since the vegan trend is very much supported by many Instagram users over the whole world. The healthy dishes that are displayed on a person’s feed are recreated very often, more often than the unhealthy recipes they see coming by. This shows that Instagram has a positive effect on our eating habits, since it shows us a big diversity in healthy foods and recipes.
“I think is started following food related instagram accounts a few years ago, when I wanted to do more healthy recipes. I wanted to have ideas for lunch and breakfast, because I didn’t really know how to change mine.”
Participant 1.2
But what about the indirect effect that Instagram has on our food choices? After having interviewed several users about the topic, we found that by scrolling through our feed, our image of what is healthy can be affected as well. This way it can happen that seeing content about health changes what we see as healthy. And here we do not only mean it about food. By scrolling through images about fit people, we might, without being conscious about it, change what we end up eating. Therefore, the difference between direct and indirect effects of Instagram is that while direct effects make us buy a certain type of food or try out a recipe, indirect effects change what we perceive to be healthy, and that makes us shop or eat differently.
We know…This might sound scary. But, as our research revealed, it is not as bad as it seems. Most participants of the research shared how body image related Instagram posts had a negative effect on them, which they got conscious of, eventually. They reminded us: Do not forget that on social media you get to decide what you follow! By filtering the content to their own preferences, the indirect effect of Instagram became a slight motivation to get overall more conscious about their lifestyles – our interviewees shared. This way they rated the effect positive.
But all of these direct and indirect effects are not as strong as they seem. Of course, Instagram plays a role in what we choose to eat, which new recipes we try and even in how motivated we are to become heathier by reminding us to be more health conscious. But these effects are not extensive, which means that there are other aspects in life that have a more determining effect on our food choices and so on. From cultural influences to the food we were raised with and also other, more valid sources of information play a lot more influential role in our choices than Instagram. Moreover, our research revealed that for actual information about health people are more likely to pay a visit to their doctor or read an article in a more reliable journal than social media.
But what about all those delicious desserts and calorie bomb meals on Instagram? How do seeing these images affect? As mentioned earlier, people are more likely to recreate the healthy recipes that they see coming by on Instagram. Our research has shown that the less healthy photos and videos on food related Instagram accounts are rather seen as a form of entertainment. People watch these for amusement, but the actual recipes are not recreated very often, as most times they are time consuming and require a lot of skills in the kitchen. These photos and videos do create cravings, however, these cravings are mostly controlled by self-discipline or just by the fact that the food we specifically crave is not available anywhere near our homes.
” I am more likely to watch unhealthy food videos, because with healthy ones like smoothie bowls or salads, I just watch the photos. I don’t really care about the process. But I do watch the short videos of Buzzfeed or something [with unhealthy recipes], that’s funny to watch.”
Participant 1.2
After reading this article, do you still think the same about your answers to the questions stated at the beginning? Maybe you thought you were never affected by Instagram and now you have found out that you actually were. Or, maybe you have changed you mind about how much you thought Instagram affected you, because you now see that other features also play a very significant role. Whatever your stance is right now, please remember to be very conscious about the role social media plays in your life. To conclude and to give an answer to our own research question; Instagram users aged between eighteen and twenty-five years old perceive the effects of food and health related Instagram content as followed. Instagram is a big part of our lives and most of us spend (way too) much time on it, and it indeed does have some effect on the food choices we make, but this effect is not extensive. There are a lot of other, more important, features that control our desire to eat.
References
Turner, P. G., & Lefevre, C. E. (2017). Instagram use is linked to increased symptoms of orthorexia nervosa. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 22(2), 277-284.
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