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HOW CAN A SOCIAL MEDIA APP FOSTER A COMMUNITY OF FOOD ENTHUSIASTS?
Our society’s narrative around food has become increasingly reductionist, valuing food for solely its quantitative caloric content. While these aspects are undoubtedly important for physical health, they overlook the value of the unifying experiences intertwined with food consumption. This visual essay posits restructuring people’s relationship with food from the individual consumption of macronutrients to collective experience, fostering a community of food enthusiasts who find connection in the shared act of eating. This hypothesis takes the form of social media, a medium viewed today as a breeding ground for superficial interactions, but once touted for its widespread connective abilities. By using social media to cultivate this communal environment, narratives around food will change, and social media can be admired as intended: to promote productive connection.
STIGMATIZATION OF FOOD DISCUSSIONS DUE TO CALORIE COUNTING PRACTICES.
The ongoing dialogue about food often centers on “healthy eating” and strict diets, focusing on calorie counting as a measure of physical health. Yet, this approach overlooks the broader lifestyle elements and biological purpose of eating, such as hunger cues and satiety signals, which are natural regulators of body weight (Stevenson, 2023). Moreover, calorie counting is criticized for being a short-term weight-loss solution without lasting behavioral change (Hall & Kahan, 2018; Ge et al., 2020). Despite this, many still praise calorie counting as the most pervasive weight-loss method, and it’s no wonder discussions around food have become so taboo, when food is only appreciated as a means to an end. So how do we work to de-stigmatize these conversations around food?
DISTINGUISHING HEALTHY EATING FROM HEALTHY FOOD DISCUSSIONS.
The dichotomy between “healthy eating” and “healthy discussions” underscores the inadequacy of our current approach to food discourse. These elements are peculiarly zero-sum; it’s because of the over-reliance on food as a quantitative calorie source that our society overlooks food for anything qualitative, leading to a lack of discourse surrounding it. There’s a need for increased “healthy discussions” about food to fight against this reductionist mindset, by appreciating it as a cultural binder, something that can be enjoyed, and creating a more balanced and profound relationship with it. Ultimately, we all use food every day, so we should work to view it as a connector and not a divider.
INTRODUCING SAVOR AS A COMMUNITY BUILDING CATALYST.
It is within this context that the concept of Savor emerges—a social media platform designed to revolutionize the way we engage with food. Unlike traditional platforms that often perpetuate unrealistic ideals and superficial interactions, Savor offers a space where individuals can connect authentically through shared culinary experiences and meaningful discussions. By shifting the focus from calorie counting to community building, Savor offers a refreshing alternative to the reductionist mindset that pervades current discourse surrounding food, allowing users to explore the diverse array of cuisines, traditions, and stories that make food such a central aspect of human culture. At Savor, conversations are seasoned with personal stories and shared experiences, where the richness of human interaction is the main course, and technology is merely the utensil.
A SOCIAL MEDIA FEED THAT FOSTERS INTENTION.
The design of Savor’s feed and landing page deliberately challenges social media norms to promote deeper engagement. One element that remains, however, is the infinite scroll feature, attributable to social media’s addictive nature and typically fosters quick gratification over in-depth interaction (Woolley & Sharif, 2022). Savor doesn’t dismiss that feature, though, as it recognizes endless scroll in its power to propel consumption. Meanwhile, Savor attributes shallow social media interactions to the ability to like and comment directly from the feed. To counter this, Savor requires users to open posts to like, comment, or share, encouraging users to interact more purposefully instead of dismissing a post with the click of a like-button. Essentially, Savor’s approach is a case study in balancing content consumption with meaningful social interaction.
REFLECTING ON THE VALUE OF FOOD.
The Savor account page is meticulously crafted to celebrate the culinary journey of its users. The arbitrary follower counts are relocated to allow room for less contentious content, supporting a healthier relationship with social media’s ability to endorse experiences (Jiang & Ngien, 2020). In its place, Savor introduces a daily journaling prompt that transforms the account page into a space for reflection and growth. It encourages users to contemplate and articulate the role of food in their daily lives, fostering a community that values thoughtful sharing over passive scrolling. Savor succeeds in telling the stories of its users, in its true authenticity and vigor.
A SOLUTION TO CONNECTIVITY AND HEALTHY FOOD DISCOURSE
In essence, Savor feeds two birds with one scone in the way it redefines what it means to have a healthy relationship with food, and the sincerity of today’s social media interactions. Rather than viewing food solely as a means to achieve physical health goals, Savor celebrates its role as a catalyst for social connections, cultural exchange, and personal fulfillment. By embracing the richness and complexity of our relationship with food, Savor also offers a refreshing alternative to the superficiality of traditional social media platforms, redefining the way we discuss and connect with food in this digital age.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ge, L., Sadeghirad, B., Ball, G. D. C., da Costa, B. R., Hitchcock, C. L., Svendrovski, A., Kiflen, R., Quadri, K., Kwon, H. Y., Karamouzian, M., Adams-Webber, T., Ahmed, W., Damanhoury, S., Zeraatkar, D., Nikolakopoulou, A., Tsuyuki, R. T., Tian, J., Yang, K., Guyatt, G. H., & Johnston, B. C. (2020). Comparison of dietary macronutrient patterns of 14 popular named dietary programmes for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ (Online), 369, m696–m696. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m696
Hall, K. D., & Kahan, S. (2018). Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. The Medical clinics of North America, 102(1), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2017.08.012
Jiang, S., & Ngien, A. (2020). The Effects of Instagram Use, Social Comparison, and Self-Esteem on Social Anxiety: A Survey Study in Singapore. Social Media + Society, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120912488
Stevenson, R. (2023). The psychological basis of hunger and its dysfunctions. Nutrition Reviews, nuad092. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad092
Woolley, K., & Sharif, M. A. (2022, February 3). The psychology of your scrolling addiction. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/01/the-psychology-of-your-scrolling-addiction
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