why do people share food photographs via social media channels?

Why do we share food images via social networks?

#FoodPsych

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs | Chef Shaun Hill

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs

Which social network do you use most o8en to share your food photos? #FoodPsych

Top 3 for Females 26.15% Facebook 23.08% Instagram 12.82% TwiMer Top 3 for Males 15.9% TwiMer 9.7% Facebook 6.15% Instagram

Instagram was the top network for posQng food photos for 18-‐20 year olds Facebook was the top network for posQng food photos for 30 – 39 year olds TwiGer was the top network for posQng food photos for 40 – 49 year olds

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs

Which social network do you most o8en like, share or comment on other people’s food photos? #FoodPsych

Instagram was the top network for liking or commenQng on other peoples photos amongst women

Instagram was the top network for liking/commenQng on photos for 21-‐29 year olds Those over 40 preferred to post comment on food images via TwiGer

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Robert Thompson

Is it socially acceptable to share food photos? #FoodPsych

“Sharing food has always been a social ritual, and sharing photos of that food can serve as an extension of this, especially when loved ones are absent. However not all moQvaQons are socially posiQve, and our sample was self-‐selecQng which means they may not reflect the views of all social groups.” Nathalie Nahai

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Andy Waters

When are you most likely to post a picture of food? #FoodPsych

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde #FoodPsych Image @GBChefs |Chef Josh Eggleton

“We were delighted that such a high percentage of people thought it was socially acceptable to share food photos. EaQng good food is a social experience and just as people talk about a parQcularly good meal

they've eaten, it's now easy to share with a click of a buMon through Instagram, TwiMer or Facebook.

We'll be keen to see whether micro video sharing of food on tools such

as Vine comes into play in the future”

Great BriOsh Chefs

“I was surprised by the high percentage of people who post photos as soon as the

food arrives at the table – it paints a picture of dining out evolving from a shared experience with your dining companions to a socially shared

experience with an infinite community. It would be interesQng to know whether

this behaviour was influenced by the type of place they were dining in – is it more acceptable to share photos in Dirty

Burger than when at Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons, for example.

Eleanor, Square Meal

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde #FoodPsych Image @GBChefs |Chef Shaun Rankin

"We help people create food that creates a 'wow factor' when it first appears on the table, so it was encouraging to see that people are more likely to share food just

as it is presented before them.” Great BriQsh Chefs


Which device do you use to upload your food images to social networks? #FoodPsych

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Josh Eggleton

Would you describe yourself as a foodie? #FoodPsych

81.28% said yes I’m a foodie No = 18.72%

“It appears, preMy much anyone can be a foodie these days. I think the extent to which you describe yourself a foodie is relaQve to your own knowledge. If I compare myself to the people I work with, I am most definitely not a foodie. Compared to the average person, yes I’m a foodie” Karen Fewell


Why do you take pictures of food? #FoodPsych

0" 10" 20" 30" 40" 50" 60" 70" 80" 90" 100"

To"record"an"event"or"social"occasion"

When"it’s"a"special"treat"

Beause"it"is"beau@ful"and"looks"like"art"

When"it"is"my"friends"food"

To"en@ce"other"people"to"eat"the"food"

Because"I"am"proud"that"I"made"it"myself"

To"congratulate"the"person"who"made"it"

Because"it"is"unusual"or"different"

To"show"that"I"am"ea@ng"healthy"food"

Because"it"says"a"lot"about"me"

Other"

“I’m not surprised the number one reason people share food images is because they are proud of what they have made. Sorted's own community

started an unofficial FaceBook compeQQon to be the first to rush out and buy the ingredients, make the dish

and post a photo online." Jamie, Sorted Food

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Tom Aikens

Why do you take pictures of food? Top Reasons for Females 1. Proud I made it myself 2. Because it looks beauQful 3. To record an event or special occasion 4. Because it was a special treat 5. To congratulate the person who made it Top Reasons for Males 1. Proud I made it myself 1. To record an event or special occasion 2. Because it looks beauQful 3. Because it is unusual or different 4. It says a lot about me 4. Because it was a special treat (same number of responses for posiQons 1 & 4)

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef William Drabble

"It's great to see people recording the results of wonderful food

they've cooked themselves. There's a joy in cooking and eaQng excellent food but also a joy in sharing food

through photography for the benefit of people who weren't

there. We love to see this pride in producing good food.”

Great BriOsh Chefs


@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Sumayya

"The fact people are posQng images because the food looks beauQful is also interesQng -‐ if you're out at a restaurant, the presentaQon is likely to be beMer than at home, which makes sense. AddiQonally, if our audience have gone to the effort of making a dish from scratch, they're more likely to

take care over the presentaQon to make sure the food is appreciated properly.”

Jamie, Sorted Food

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde

Respondents were shown these food images #FoodPsych

Most Likely to be posted by males -‐  Art dish -‐  Steak -‐  Christmas Dinner

Most Likely to be posted by females -‐  Art dish -‐  Christmas Dinner -‐  Steak

Art dish

Christmas Dinner

Steak


Photos people were most likely to post to social networks #FoodPsych

Art dish 70.26%

Christmas Dinner 51.28%

Steak 49.23%

Most Likely to like/comment or share someone elses photo if it is

-‐  Art dish -‐  Branded food -‐  Steak

Curry 39.49%

Fish 38.97%

Pizza 32.82%

Branded Food Product 30.77%

Junk Food 22.56%

Salad 20.51%

Sandwich 9.74%%


“We tend to find sweet dishes more popular on YouTube than savoury in terms of views and engagement -‐ we think this is because sweet dishes are seen as more of a treat and an occasion than a savoury dish you're likely to have

every day" Jamie, Sorted Food


Respondents were shown these food images #FoodPsych

Most Likely to be posted by males -‐  Cake -‐  Chocolate pudding (2nd place) -‐  Cheese (2nd place)

Most Likely to be posted by females -‐  Cake -‐  Chocolate pudding -‐  Fruit dessert


Photos people were most likely to post to social networks #FoodPsych

Chocolate pudding 58.97%

Cake 61.54%

Fruit dessert 51.28%

SelecQon 50.77%

Cheesecake 50.26%

Cheese 40%

Branded food product 20%

Fruit crumble 26.15%

Most Likely to like/comment or share someone elses photo if it is

-‐  Cake -‐  Chocolate pudding -‐  Meringues/SelecQon

Meringues 48.21%

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Shaun Rankin

"Desserts and cakes appear to have the greatest capacity for sharing by photography. This echoes recipes and photos that are shared most open via Great BriQsh Chefs. The challenge is now to make savoury dishes and main courses have similar shareability amongst the public. Let's celebrate the art of a great piece of fish or a juicy

piece of steak too”

Great BriQsh Chefs

Image @GBChefs |Chef Josh Eggleton @TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde

“Food is an intrinsic human pleasure, so when you’re having a treat, it’s really no surprise that people wish to share it. That said, in this age of social media, there’s a tendency to over-‐share and over-‐document your life.

This is a different issue enQrely, but which food photography directly ‘feeds’ into.”

Research ParQcipant


Showing off #FoodPsych

“Like everywhere else online, people are trying to show everyone else how great a Qme they're having and showing food that is beMer than something you might be eaQng is probably the same thing. Like having more friends on Facebook. A sense

that they're there and you're not. It's compeQQve.” Research ParQcipant

“Because we live in a world of ‘look at me.”

Research ParQcipant

As individuals we crave social validaQon: to feel valued, liked and respected by our peers. We also like to feel important, someQmes at the cost of others, which may explain why many respondents said

they posted photos of food to ‘make other people jealous’ Nathalie Nahai

“ ”

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef William Drabble

“I am surprised though that there wasn’t a definable amount of

people who said ‘to show off’ – we see hundreds of pictures on social media and blogs of ‘ok-‐looking’ food e.g. half-‐eaten

burgers, shared simply to show that the person is in the latest burger joint or has a table at a new

opening. ”


I think there may be a disQncQon between the various channels of social media when sharing photos. Perhaps the more immediate forms e.g. TwiMer and Instagram are used a lot more for

showing off. When sharing food photos on blogs though, it appears that these people have spent a bit more Qme ediQng their photos to

enhance the food and make the dishes look beauQful. In the context of a well-‐wriMen piece of prose about their

dining experience, the food really does appear as art.


“The love of food is something that brings people together

regardless of culture or ethnicity, I think we find joy in sharing

something that has made us happy.”

Research ParQcipant

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Tom Aikens

Love of Food #FoodPsych

“

”

At its most basic, food is what we depend on for survival. Historically the way in which a civilisaQon prepared and shared its food revealed a lot about its culture. In a world in which social Qes are increasingly fragmented and scaMered, sharing images of our food allows us not only to connect with our loved ones and express our own sense of idenQty, it also brings an opportunity to display ourselves in a posiQve light.

Nathalie Nahai

Image @GBChefs |Chef Josh Eggleton

“I've been to a talk where they call it food porn and it's because people are driven to document their lives now and

these provide bookmarks or

signposts to their memories”

Research ParQcipant


@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Sumayya

“People want to show off but they want to share their experiences of great food too. This is where I think restaurants and bars can be really clever in making the most of their clients’ tendency to

use social media wherever they are” Eleanor, Square Meal

“Food can fit into so many categories of interest... brands, art, luxury/treats, social events

and that is why it gets shared in all these contexts” Research ParQcipant

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde Image @GBChefs |Chef Paul Ainsworth

Image @GBChefs |Chef Andy Waters

Is it a sign of an eaOng disorder? #FoodPsych

Tyler Kingkade (05/07/2013). ‘Instagramming Your Food May Signal Bigger Problem, Researcher Says’. Huffington Post. hMp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/07/instagramming-‐food-‐problem-‐foodstagramming_n_3230129.html

According to Dr. Valerie Taylor, chief of psychiatry at Women's College Hospital at the University of Toronto,

documenQng one’s meals to the point of obsession can be a signal of a larger dieQng problem. How much is too

much? If every Qme you go out you’re focusing more on the food (how it looks, when you ate, and when you’ll eat again) rather than the social interacQon, it could be a sign

of a potenQal eaQng disorder.

Nathalie Nahai

“ ”

Image @GBChefs |Chef Mark Dodson

Can some good come of food sharing? “I hope so. I think it is Qme we stopped moaning about the fact people want to share their food experiences. Lets uQlise the data and insight it gives us and then use that knowledge to make change. The Feedie app is a start, but I want to see this go further. I want to see how the food sharing habit can improve the mental and physical health of our naQon and get food to those here in the UK who are living below the poverty line.” Karen Fewell, Digital Blonde

@TheWebPsych @DigitalBlonde #FoodPsych

Image @GBChefs |Chef Robert Thompson

Karen Fewell @DigitalBlonde [email protected] digitalblondemoments.tumblr.com

If you have any quesQons about #FoodPsych please get in touch

Nathalie Nahai @TheWebPsych [email protected] thewebpsychologist.com

Image @GBChefs |Chef Alan Murchison

Massive Thanks To


“For me, this insight is just the start. Over the next year I will be researching the relaQonship we have with food and social media. My studies will look at the two extremes of fine dining and poverty plus everything that falls in between.” Karen Fewell, Digital Blonde

Image @GBChefs |Chef Josh Eggleton

Through my book #FoodPorn, I want to explore how our food

sharing habits can develop our love of food, improve the mental and physical health of our naQon and get food to those here in the UK who are living below the poverty line.

“

” @DigitalBlonde

New Book: #FoodPorn Published 2014

Author Karen @DigitalBlonde with comment from Nathalie @TheWebPsych

why do people share food photographs via social media channels?

Technology

food

hungtonpost

made

art

jamie

chocolatepudding

karenfewell

eleanor