Influence of Social Media on Food Consumption Choice of Youngsters: A Special Reference to Kerala

Abstract

“You are what you eat”. Good food is equivalent to a healthy body, and thus, a healthy mind. In today’s era of surfing the internet for reviews and opinion regarding everything sublunary, people voluntarily let themselves get influenced by certain individuals having a say. The popularity of such active individuals in virtual platforms make them ‘social media influencers’. With the increasing popularity of food blogs, vlogs and pictures related to it by such influencers, whether people eat according to their bodily needs or whether food has also become a tool of socializing, has become a question of grave concern. This research paper aims at digging out answers to whether youngsters of Kerala are getting subtly or explicitly influenced by the social media posts on food or not. The youngsters of age group 18-35 years living in Kerala are researched upon. Likes, shares and comments on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram posts in the pages of huge following/ subscribers are analyzed. Survey of youngsters and in-depth interview of the social media influencers and restaurant personnel are taken to draw conclusion. The research also seeks to find answers to whether or not, sponsorship/ perks, if any, lead the influencers to endorse unhealthy food items.Findings suggest that youngsters have a neutral opinion towards trying out the suggested restaurant and food.