Does the internet support healthy food relationships? Perhaps not.
Critiquing food, I believe, has previously been seen as prestigious. Madeleine Chapman breaks this idea, writing from the perspective of an ordinary. In both her review of KFC and The Grove, there is a clear tone of realistic honesty (Chapman & Wilson, 2017). Her perspective is shown clearly as she discusses each food (Chapman et la., 2017). This possibly allows those with a similar socioeconomic status to relate to food critics more than ever. Thanks to the internet almost anybody can have an opinion and share it online.
Anthony Warner, The Angry Chef, said you can always find something to back up your opinion thanks to the internet era we live in today (Warner, 2014). Warner is angry about the claims that diets make and the way we consume those ideas as if they are truths (Warner, 2014). People are buying into these claims because it backs up what they think they already know. The internet has created information overload; the topic of food is no exception.
The Internet is affecting the world of food. It has allowed the opinions of all to be expressed and affirmed about food and Warner suggests, perhaps too much. Internet platforms have allowed the sharing of food to expand past the sharing of a meal but we may have lost key values such as honesty. This oversharing of food means that finding a healthy balance is near impossible in a sea of opinions.
Photo: Food and internet collide.
References:
Chapman, M., & Wilson, S. (2017a). The critic and the rookie go to the grove, one of auckland’s fanciest restaurants. Retrieved from https://thespinoff.co.nz/auckland/08-12-2017/the-critic-and-the-rookie-dining-out-at-one-of-aucklands-most-expensive-restaurants/
Chapman, M., & Wilson, S. (2017b). The food critic and the rookie head to KFC. Retrieved from https://thespinoff.co.nz/auckland/11-12-2017/the-food-critic-and-the-rookie-head-to-kfc/
Warner, A. (2014). About angry chef. Retrieved from https://angry-chef.com/about
I agree, the internets growing influence has transformed the concept of food and health for many people, especially the younger generation. For those of us whose connection to the internet is essential to their everyday lives, it’s difficult to ignore the overwhelming amount of false information surrounding food. When it comes to misinformation, lies can become truth. When enough people believe in a false claim, it begins to get traction and becomes impossible to stop as it starts to burrow its way into people’s psyche.