Does Social Media Affect Your Diet?

In the digital age, social media has become a powerful force shaping individual behaviors, including dietary choices. With platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube flooded with food trends, diet challenges, and nutrition advice, users are constantly exposed to diverse messages about what to eat. While social media can serve as an educational tool that promotes healthy eating habits, it also fosters misinformation, unrealistic body standards, and fad diets that may negatively impact public health. This aims to explore the extent to which social media influences dietary decisions, both positively and negatively, and how this impact varies across different groups demographically. By analyzing content trends, user engagement, and their correlation with dietary behaviors, this will provide valuable insights into the role of social media in shaping nutrition-related perceptions and habits.

The Rise of Food Trends on Social Media

Social media plays a significant role in shaping individuals’ views on health and nutrition, as well as their food choices. There has been an increase of users on social media, and research finds that over 90% of adolescents have at least one social media account (PubMed, 2022). Tons of influencers, health professionals, and everyday users capitalize on this by sharing meal plans, food reviews, nutritional advice, and more. I find this intriguing and of my interest because I am one of the millions of individuals making dietary decisions based on what I see on the internet. As a nutrition major, food is my favorite thing to experiment with and try, so seeing various diet trends and delicious recipes is right up my alley.

How Influencers Shape Eating Habits

Some of the most popular trends on social media at the moment, especially TikTok, includes “What I Eat in a Day” and “Mukbang” videos. In these short clips, influencers share what they consume throughout the day. However, some make it a point to emphasize in their video they are not trying to lose weight, so they choose to eat foods high in sodium and saturated fats. On the other hand, some influencers promote certain foods and products that have a positive effect on the human body, such as “Coconut Cult” yogurt and sea moss, which have sold out in stores nationwide. “Mukbang” videos have become seemingly popular, where one consumes a large quantity of food and addresses the audience. Research has found that mukbang watching has become addictive for some people, posing negative consequences on the human mind and body (ScienceDirect, 2024). The article, Addictive Symptoms of Mukbang Watching: A Qualitative Interview Study Using Directed Content Analysis, dives deep into how smartphone technologies have allowed individuals to engage in food-watching behaviors, particularly mukbangs. The study finds that mukbang videos often glorify binge eating, and viewers tend to mimic or compare themselves by increasing their own food consumption (ScienceDirect, 2024).

The Psychological Impact of Food Content

Furthermore, health professionals and even daily users have made their way onto platforms to provide dietary guidance through short clips. These videos range from sharing what foods to avoid to debloat the body to what to eat to have clear skin. Since a majority of internet users are adolescents, they are easily susceptible to believing these videos and trying it out for themselves. The article, Social Media’s Influence on Adolescents’ Food Choices: A Mixed Studies Systematic Literature Review, finds that many dietary choices made by young adults and children are made based on advertising and the usage of celebrities or individuals with a big following (PubMed, 2022). The tactics of these food and beverage companies include targeting the youth by using familiar faces to promote their products (PubMed, 2022). The study also found that adolescents are more likely to recall unhealthy food, which may contribute to the risk of developing harmful health outcomes such as obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes (PubMed, 2022).

Adolescents and the Influence of Online Diet Culture

Based on previous research and personal observations, adolescents tend to be more engaged with social media compared to older demographics. It is evident that social media trends primarily target Gen Z, particularly those currently between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, and even some younger tweens. My assumption is younger users are more likely to engage with food content creators and their videos across multiple platforms, whereas older adults may not be as immersed in this digital landscape. One prominent example is the viral food content creator, Jelly Bean Sweets, who has gained massive popularity through mukbangs as “she does engage in mukbangs where she’ll eat a large order from a fast food chain like McDonald’s or Taco Bell” (Byrne, 2024). Before delving into food content, she was a fit dancer who shared her passion for dance on social media. However, as mukbangs became a lucrative niche, she transitioned into this space, consuming excessive amounts of food to attract viewers and increase engagement. By trying new fast-food menu items and promoting them in her videos, she directly influences her audience’s dietary choices through implicit advertising.

The Role of Algorithms and Targeted Food Content

This rise in food-related content has sparked discussions around the ethics of influence and the responsibility content creators have when sharing nutritional advice or promoting certain eating habits. While some influencers clearly state their lack of credentials and encourage viewers to consult professionals, others blur the lines between entertainment and guidance, leading to confusion among impressionable viewers. This blurred boundary can create a false sense of trust in online personalities, potentially encouraging harmful behaviors such as disordered eating or the overconsumption of processed foods.

In addition, algorithmic targeting plays a crucial role in reinforcing users’ exposure to specific types of food content. Once a user engages with a particular kind of video, whether it be healthy meal prep or indulgent fast-food mukbangs, the platform tends to recommend similar content, creating a feedback loop that can distort perceptions of normal eating. This can influence not only what individuals eat, but also how they view their own dietary habits in comparison to others online.

Gender Differences in Food-Related Content

Gender also appears to be a factor in how dietary content is consumed and internalized. Studies suggest that female-identifying adolescents may be more likely to engage with content related to body image, weight loss, and “clean eating”, while male-identifying users might gravitate toward performance-based nutrition or extreme eating challenges. These trends highlight the importance of considering gender dynamics when evaluating the impact of social media on food choices.

The Need for Digital and Nutritional Literacy

As this research continues, it’s important to evaluate how digital literacy and nutritional education intersect. While some users are able to critically evaluate online content and differentiate between credible advice and trends, many lack the tools to do so. This underlines the need for more accessible education about nutrition and digital media consumption in school curriculums and public health initiatives. Ultimately, understanding the influence of social media on dietary decisions requires a nuanced approach that accounts for psychological, demographic, and cultural variables. By exploring both the benefits and risks, this will help inform better practices for content creation, digital regulation, and public health messaging in an increasingly online world.

Balancing Inspiration and Misinformation

In my opinion, social media can be both inspiring and harmful when it comes to dietary choices. As a nutrition and dietetics major, I enjoy seeing creative recipes and health tips online, but I also recognize how easily misinformation spreads, especially to young, impressionable users. Even with my background, I sometimes catch myself questioning my own food choices because of what I see online. I believe there needs to be more accountability for content creators, especially those giving nutrition advice without proper qualifications.

How to Identify Credible Nutrition Information

Social media platforms should promote credible sources and make it easier for users to identify evidence-based information. While food content can be fun and educational, it’s important that viewers understand the difference between entertainment and professional guidance.

Key Takeaways on Social Media and Diet

Ultimately, social media isn’t the problem, but it’s about how we use and interpret it. With better digital literacy and public awareness, it can be a positive tool for promoting healthy habits.

References:

Byrne, Molly. “Who Is Jelly Bean Sweets? TikToker’s Viral Mukbangs Spark Concern.” Dexerto, Dexerto, 6 Aug. 2024,
www.dexerto.com/tiktok/who-is-jelly-bean-sweets-tiktokers-viral-mukbangs-spark-concern-2852678/.

Kagan Kircaburun, et al. “Addictive Symptoms of Mukbang Watching: A Qualitative Interview Study Using Directed Content Analysis.” Emerging Trends in Drugs, Addictions, and Health, vol. 4, 1 Dec. 2024, pp. 100147–100147, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etdah.2024.100147.

Kucharczuk, Adam J., et al. “Social Media’s Influence on Adolescents′ Food Choices: A Mixed Studies Systematic Literature Review.” Appetite, vol. 168, no. 105765, 20 Oct. 2021,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666321006723 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105765.