You are what you eat: A social media study of food identity

TL;DR

This study explores how food preferences relate to personal values and social identities, revealing distinct socio-environmental interests and social interaction patterns among different food identity groups.

Contribution

It introduces a social media analysis framework to link food preferences with personal attributes and social behaviors, highlighting the broader implications of food identity.

Findings

Food left-wing shows interest in socio-environmental issues.

Food right-wing prefers large-scale shopping malls and conservative topics.

Social interactions are segregated between food identity groups.

Abstract

Food preferences not only originate from a person's dietary habits, but also reflect personal values and consumer awareness. This study addresses `food identity' or the relationship between food preferences and personal attributes based on the concept of `food left-wing' (e.g., vegetarians) and `food right-wing' (e.g., fast-food lovers) by analyzing social data using information entropy and networks. The results show that food identity extends beyond the domain of food: The food left-wing has a strong interest in socio-environmental issues, while the food right-wing has a higher interest in large-scale shopping malls and politically conservative issues. Furthermore, the social interactions of food left-wing and right-wing factions show segregated structures, indicating different information consumption patterns. These findings suggest that food identity may be applicable as a proxy for personal attributes and offer insights into potential buying patterns.