My research idea?

• Why do people take pictures of their food before diving in?

I was at my friend’s birthday and we were sitting in a cosy, 80s-90s designed restaurant in Sydney called The Grounds. I was so starving that I could literally eat anything. Despite the hunger, when the food came out, everyone automatically took out their phones and started snapping pictures of food on the table. It was funny that once one person took the first step, others started to copy like: “Hold on, I want that picture of deliciousness as well”.

So I thought to myself how weird it is that I never questioned this ritual before. When people see that everyone is doing the same thing, they naturally accept it as a norm without doubts.

One of the factors that contribute to this social norm – taking food pictures – is because of the advancement of technology that allows us to capture moments and share them at a fast pace. There is a need to update stories about our life to the world and a sense of gratification coupled with it. I think it is human nature that we crave for care and attention. Such online attention boosts self-esteem and somewhat validates someone’s worthiness and confidence.

Yet, the explanation above is only my proposed theory about people’s behaviours. It could be right and it could be wrong. Therefore, I feel the importance of ethnography in helping me explore deeply about “cultural phenomenon” and potentially come up with useful implications (Susan, Tutorial Week 9). Researching on this topic, I want to understand the values of food photography habit and answer why people are doing what they’re doing.

Stakeholders

I reckon that some interested stakeholders in my project could be food companies who are trying to establish touch points with their consumers. By learning about consumers’ media habit of recording their experience with food, they could think of interesting marketing campaigns that motivate people to share thoughts on the company’s products through pictures. Another potential stakeholder that can be taken into account are restaurants. Hospitality businesses can use this research to leverage their food experience, i.e. quality of food and decoration, dining spaces, and customer service, to receive more earned media as customers want to talk about them.

On the other hand, it is also a chance for consumers to reflect on their motives of taking food pictures. Is it for the pure appreciation of superb food? Or is it an indication of their beliefs and values based on what they share? Therefore, people can use that as a tool to promote their lifestyle productivity and motivations.

Inspirations

I came through this article “Picture perfect? How Instagram changed the food we eat” and it just made sense to me how media landscape has placed an impact on users in terms of self-presentation: what they particularly choose to represent themselves online to construct a desired identity.

“For us, today’s dining experience is no longer just about having great food and drink. It’s all about creating unique experiences that our customers can document on Instagram and social media.” – Ehab Shouly, director of the Tea Terrace on Oxford Street.

There is definitely more to come about my approach to this topic in the next blog. Let me know if you have any suggestions on how I should explore about food photography and people’s media usage as well. I would really appreciate. Until then, stay tuned!

References:

Susan, M 2019, Tutorial Week 9

https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/opinion/care-likes-social-media/

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-42012732