Hidden pressure behind Instagram's family meal trends

Hidden pressure behind Instagram's family meal trends

New research determines how Instagram's top posts and polished images could be putting the pressure of unrealistic expectations on parents while fueling gender stereotypes.

Study: From Plate to Post: Exploring representations of #familypaths through a content analysis of Instagram. Photo credit: Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock.com

A recently published study in Health Promotion International used a qualitative content analysis approach to examine how family meals are portrayed on Instagram. Research found that Instagram content often portrays a perfect meal to an unattainable standard, potentially adding unnecessary pressure and expectations around food preparation and family meals.

How does social media affect family dinners?

Social media influences almost every aspect of life, including what and how a family eats. A significant number of people worldwide spend a lot of time on social media. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms with more than 1.7 billion users.

Many people discuss food and nutrition on their social media accounts. The study finds that individuals actively search and are passively exposed to food information while scrolling through their media feeds or watching reels.

A recent survey showed that 44% of US adults follow nutrition influencers on Instagram, while 53% of South African university students follow nutrition pages on popular social media platforms. The use of hashtags related to food and nutrition has essentially increased exposure around and account. Hashtags such as #DinNertime, #crunchy, #Delicious, #Withfriends, #Peasandcorn and #VEGEGELTABLE, cover various food-related content, including texture, nutritional content, type and specific mealtime preferences.

Several people such as parents and caregivers share their personal knowledge, observations and practical experiences of feeding a family on social media, which can influence many others. Instagram is a popular platform where many people seek advice about different foods.

Previous research has shown that real and perceived internal and external expectations influence a parent's decisions about what and how a child should be fed. In the context of family meals, most families face additional pressure to feed children “well” and promote family bonding. Parents often look for information about food and nutrition from social media. However, it is important to recognize that not all information circulating on social media is factual.

Given the widespread use of social media and sharing of various information, assessing the value of family meal discussion in less structured settings is essential.

About the study

The current study aimed to find out which family members post more about family meals on Instagram and how people portray family meals on the Instagram platform.

For data collection, four hashtags, i.e., #FamilyDinner, #Familmeals, #Familylunch and #FamilyBreakfast were visited once a week between February 15 and May 16, 2024. A total of 840 posts were collected and considered throughout the data collection period after removing duplicates and ineligible posts. Temporary contributions such as roles or stories were not taken into account.

A qualitative content analysis approach was used to analyze images, text, and video content from Instagram family meal posts. All data, including information about the account (e.g. bio and number of followers) and post (e.g. likes, number of comments and captions), was maintained in a secure password-protected database called Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCAP).

Study results

A total of 564 unique locations from 359 unique accounts were obtained across all hashtags with a median of 15,600 followers per account. Although most of the selected Instagram users were individual account holders, a small proportion of group accounts were also included. Approximately 38% of all accounts were self-identified or classified as recipe developers among all selected users.

Weight loss, public figures, and nutritionists/nutritionists were among the least common of all hashtags. Across all hashtags, #Familylunch had the highest number of unique user accounts (108) compared to #Familymemals, which had the fewest unique users (64). Unlike group users who largely used #Familylunch, individual accounts used all hashtags in content.

Interestingly, most (86.3%) account holders were women and of accounts where parental status could be determined, almost all were mothers. Individuals self-identified as food bloggers, lifestyle influencers and travel influencers among the highest users of #Familylunch and #FamilyBreakfast. Account holders of self-identified or classified parenting bloggers largely used #FamilyBreakfast. Only a small minority of men are food based than fathers and only under #familylunch and #FamilyDinner.

Instagram content was divided into three categories: carousel (29%), single image (33.3%) and single video posts (36.7%). The current study found that carousel posts were the most common across all hashtags for #Familylunch, followed by single-image posts for #Familymeals and single-image posts for #FamilyDinner. Approximately 81% of posts with #Familymemals appeared staged, while only 46% of posts with #Familylunch were considered authentic.

Collectively, most users posting family meal content were recipe developers, and their posts were highly curated and covered foods or drinks. With some authentic contributions, this study highlights a stark gap between the polished, curated portrayal of family dinners on social media and parents' real-life experiences.

Conclusions

The current study found that while social media can be a valuable channel for improving family meals and healthy eating, further research is needed to analyze the true impact of these posts on parenting behaviors and practices.

The distribution of misinformation and unrealistic portrayals could harm those who believe it to be true. Additionally, this study showed that preparing family meals is still viewed as “women’s work.” Therefore, further initiatives are needed to promote a balanced distribution of housework.

The study concludes that Instagram content about family meals often reinforces unattainable standards and traditional gender roles, pointing to the need for more realistic portrayals and a broader sharing of domestic responsibilities.

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