This document discusses the global phenomenon of "foodstagramming" or taking photos of meals and uploading them to social media. It provides statistics on the growth of food-related posts and hashtags on platforms like Instagram, Flickr, and Pinterest. The document then debates whether foodstagramming has positive or negative effects. While one study found it could cause overeating, the author argues the pros strongly outweigh the cons. The main pros are that it encourages social connections around food, influences people to try new cuisines, promotes small restaurants, raises charity awareness and funds, and motivates chefs to improve their meals.

1. Photo: Unsplash
FILM260: Digital Flipbooks,
Assignment 02
Camera Eats
First: The
Controversy over
Foodstagramming
By: Julia Liu

2. Photo: Julia Liu ©
“Camera Eats First” or
“Foodstagramming”:
the behavior and global
phenomenon of people taking
photos of their meals with
digital or smartphone cameras
before they eat, mostly
followed by uploading the
photos to social media. [1]

3. THE
FACTS
Photo: Unsplash

4. 1. The number of pictures tagged “food” on the photo-
sharing Website “Flickr” has increased tenfold to more
than six million in the last two years. [2]
2. One of the largest and most active Flickr groups, called
“I Ate This,” includes more than 300,000 photos that have
been contributed by more than 19,000 members. [2]
Photo: Unsplash

5. 3. Every 60 seconds, 90 photos are uploaded and
hashtagged #foodporn. [3]
4. In February 2017, there were 168,375,343 posts on
Instagram for #food and 76,239,441 posts for #foodporn.
[4]
Photo: Unsplash

6. Photo: Unsplash
5. Out of all brand mentions on Twitter, food and drink
brands are mentioned the most with 32% share of tweets.
[13]
6. There are 5.7 billion food-related pins on Pinterest . [14]

7. The DEBATE
Is this increasingly popular trend of
“foodstagramming” having a positive or negative affect
on our dining experiences, and therefore our lives?
Photo: Unsplash

8. PROS CONS
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9. There are possible negative
repercussions that can occur with
regular foodstagramming:
A 2012 study carried out by the
University of Southern California
found that spending a lot of time
looking at appetizing food online
stimulated the brain and causes
people to eat too much. [5]
Photo: Unsplash

10. HOWEVER, THE PROS
STRONLY OUTWEIGH THE
CONS OF FOODSTAGRAMMING
Photo: Julia Liu©

11. Photo: Unsplash
Pro #1:
Instagramming food
or talking about food
issues on Facebook is
exactly the kind of
sharing that can be
valuable. [7]

12. It encourages you to talk to others who may have a
common food interest or opinion. [6]
Photo: Unsplash

13. Pro #2:
Shared food pictures can help people overcome
distance and reinforce relationships, especially
long distance romantic relationships. [3]
Photo: Unsplash
Photo: Unsplash

14. Pro #3:
Foodstagramming is
causing more people to try
authentic food and cultural
experiences. [4]
Photo: Unsplash

15. This is good
news for rural
communities
who previously
experienced
little to no
tourist traffic.
[4]
Photo: Unsplash

16. Pro #4:
Sharing food photos can
help promote smaller
restaurants. [8]
Photo: Unsplash

17. Overexposure is necessary in this day and age of constant
information, and foodstagramming can be a visual pull that will
subconsciously alert people to check out new restaurants. [10]
Photo: Unsplash

18. Pro #5:
Some brands are taking
advantage of
foodstagramming to
raise awareness and
money for charity. [9]
Photo: Unsplash

19. Detergent brands, Cascade
and Dawn, ran a #GiveAPlate
event, encouraging people to
share photos of their
Thanksgiving food. [9]
For every plate shared, they
donated $5 to help put food on the
table of families in need, up to a
maximum of $25,000. [9]
Photo: Unsplash
Photo: Unsplash

20. The initiative was
really successful.
More than 400
people had sent in
their photos, and
Canadian families
were reminded to
donate to their local
food charities. [11]
Photo: Unsplash

21. Pro #6:
The awareness that guests
might share photos of
their dishes with large
social networks is a
motivation to every staff
member to deliver
consistently high quality
guest experiences. [12]
Photo: Unsplash
Photo: Unsplash
Photo: Unsplash Photo: Unsplash

22. Photo: Unsplash
Conclusion

23. The six main pros of foodstagramming…
1. Encouraging people to talk to others who have similar food
interests and opinions
2. Helping people overcome long distance relationships
3. Influencing people to try new food and cultural experiences
4. Promoting smaller restaurants
5. Raising awareness and money for charity
6. Motivating chefs to cook consistent, delicious, and
aesthetically pleasing meals.
… heavily outweigh the few cons of foodstagramming.
Photo: Unsplash

24. Works Cited (1/2)
1. Yin, Lee Jie. "Take Food Picture Before Eating Becomes a Trend." The InkSlingers. N.p.,
02 Oct. 2015. Web. 01 June 2017.
2. Murphy, Kate. "First the Camera, then the Fork." New York Times (1923-Current file): 2.
07 Apr. 2010. ProQuest. Web. 01 June 2017.
3. Matrix, Sidneyeve. "Module 02: Online Friends." Vimeo. Web. 11 May 2017.
4. McGuire, Sara. "Food Photo Frenzy: Inside the Instagram Craze and Travel Trend."
Business.com. N.p., 22 Feb. 2017. Web. 29 May 2017.
5. Reilly, Rachel. "'Foodstagrammers' aren't just annoying - they may have a psychological
problem, says leading psychiatrist." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 08 May
2013. Web. 01 June 2017.
6. Heimbuch, Jaymi. "What does Instagramming our food say about modern eaters?"
TreeHugger. Treehugger, 06 June 2013. Web. 28 May 2017.
7. Dell'Antonia, Kj. "Don't Post About Me on Social Media, Children Say." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 08 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 May 2017.
Photo: Unsplash

25. Photo: Unsplash
Works Cited (2/2):
8. Koh, Joyce. "Camera eats first: Is Instagram changing the way we eat?"
Time Out Kuala Lumpur. Time Out, 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 17 May 2017.
9. Matrix, Sidneyeve. "Module 04: Social Good." Vimeo. Web. 02 June 2017.
10. Sharma, Ritu. "Stop Pouring Ice on Clicktivism." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 May 2017.
11. Milne, Vanessa. "P&G helps Food Bank with Instagram campaign."
Marketing Magazine. N.p., 15 Oct. 2013. Web. 22 May 2017.
12. "Should Your Restaurant Ban Foodstagramming?" Hospitality
Technology. EnsembleIQ, 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 May 2017.
13. Bach, Daren. "Social Media Trends & Tastes in the Food & Beverage
Industry." LinkedIn. N.p., 27 May 2015. Web. 28 May 2017.
14. Smith, Craig. "275 Amazing Pinterest Statistics and Facts (May 2017)."
ExpandedRamblings. N.p., 23 May 2017. Web. 28 May 2017.