Narratives of Food Morality on Social Media Using the Example of Meat Practices

Abstract

Ideas about right and wrong eating—the morality of food—have always been constitutive of society. Food-related topics on social media exert a significant influence in this regard. To this day, issues of nutrition, and meat consumption in particular, remain sites of negotiation within various discourses on political action, social distinction, and ecology. Conversely, these moral conceptions also shape society itself. Media play a major role in influencing public food discourses. With digitalization and the emergence of social media, these food discourses have become increasingly pluralized and individualized. How, then, are discourses about right and wrong eating shaped on social media?

To address these questions, the development of food communities on Instagram was first observed over a five-year period, based on German food influencers, using social network analysis. Subsequently, a qualitative analysis of the two central food communities on Instagram was conducted using the method of netnography (Kozinets 2020). A total of 404 accounts from the Vegan & Plant-Based sphere and 471 accounts from the BBQ & Meat sphere were included, and their content was examined for central narratives of food morality.

Over the period of observation, food communities became less diverse, increasingly polarized, and more professionalized. The findings indicate that moral narratives are partially renegotiated; however, social media predominantly reflect traditional notions of good and proper eating. Within the Vegan & Plant-Based community, narratives of moderation and asceticism, ethical responsibility, maternal ideals, and restrictive dietary rules were identified. In the BBQ & Meat community, narratives of gluttony, power, violence, and masculinity emerged. Moreover, traditional gender attributions were predominantly communicated through food-related themes. Social media represent an important source for communicating ideas of right and wrong eating. As the study shows, however, they serve less to convey rational-cognitive information and more as a means of identity and relationship management through food-related topics.