Instagram Straight Eatin'

In class on Tuesday we discussed popular culture and social media’s impact on the food industry. In the past year or two our culture has seen a significant increase of food-related posts on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Five years ago it was unheard of to post a picture of the dinner you made at home from scratch on Facebook; today, it is normal. I can get on Instagram and I am guaranteed to see someone’s Grande Mocha Frappacino, or the Jamba Juice they had for lunch at least one of the several times I check Instagram a day. Unfortunately, I think we all know one person on Facebook or Twitter who has taken this trend of sharing your food on social media and overdone it. We don’t need to see every single meal you eat everyday. Now, yes it’s acceptable to post a picture of a homemade meal if you never cook and are proud of yourself and obviously want ALL your friends to see how well you did. But you can only post a picture if it looks pretty, of course.

I think the posting of your food on social media is a way to tell your followers “look how hipster I am” or ‘I can afford Starbucks, and not the 99 cent coffee from the gas station.” It is called SOCIAL media for a reason: to be social and share (probably) too many aspects of your life with the world. Posting a picture of your food at a specific restaurant on Facebook is common too. With that being said doing this comes with 2 rules: you must only post food from expensive or exotic restaurants and you also have to check in at the restaurant so your friends know you really went there. My friends and I have a little saying we say sometimes: “Picture or it didn’t happen.” That applies here.

I don’t think I have ever seen someone post a picture of their McDonald’s McChicken, large fries, and extra large coke and check-in at McDonalds. Let’s be honest, we don’t really want everyone to know we eat McDonalds. “Picture or it didn’t happen” yeah, the McDonalds you had for lunch today didn’t happen cause no one saw a picture of it.

Now, I’m not going to say that I have not been ‘one of those people.’ Yes I will admit to posting picture (or like five) of my Starbucks coffee or lunch from Panera on Instagram. I honestly have no idea why I post things like that on Instagram; I just do it. My excuse is ‘everyone else does it, and they look cool so I will to.’