Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Trend Alert: Instagramming Food


Today's world is all about sharing. Thanks to social media, we can share where we are, what we're doing and who we're with in a matter of seconds. And this idea of sharing does not exclude what we eat. Thanks to apps like Instagram, a photo application that allows you to place different filters on photographs, the trend of sharing pictures of food has rapidly grown into a cult. Everyone is sharing what they ate and where they ate it. I must admit, I am guilty of giving in to this trend myself. There are even some Instagram accounts devoted to only posting pictures of food, such as "deliciousdelicious" and "thebestfood." So, why do we do it? Do we do it to get a lot of "likes" on our pictures? Do we do it to make people jealous?

Some restaurants love the geotag feature of Instagram where the user can "tag" where they ate that dish. It's free advertising for the restaurant. If someone posts a mouthwateringly delicious looking dish and geotags the restaurant, one of their followers could immediately go to that restaurant and order that dish. That restaurant just gained a new customer without having to pay any money in advertising. Some restaurants like Comodo in New York have really embraced this trend, while some restaurants have actually banned Instagramming.


While some see this as a positive trend for the food industry, others are vehemently opposed to it. Some claim it is a distraction in the restaurant, especially for other diners, and that it ruins special moments. It's pretty rude to whip out your cell phone and take a photo of what's on your plate rather than enjoying good conversation uninterrupted by technology.

I believe this trend reinforces the notion that people care more about food and what they are eating than they did twenty years ago. As a self- proclaimed foodie, I think it is awesome that people want to share what they are eating and where they are eating it. You don't have to be a foodie to appreciate a good meal but the fact that people care enough about the food they're eating to share it with the rest of the world says something. 

What do you think about this new trend? Do you take pictures of your food and share it via social media? What platform do you use? 



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