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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
18/12/2025
The impact of social media has gone way beyond just what you wear and how you look. It is a complete package in today’s world where a lot of things are determined through social media, and food has become one of them prominently.
The introduction of social media was presented with the idea of bringing people together to provide connectivity, where people could talk to each other without the hassle of making calls for every single thing. Over the years, social media became a media-based platform where people initially could share their life moments through pictures and more, and the platforms are now much more video-oriented. During an era such as this, every type of content is presented on social media, and one of the most prominent ones that features heavily is food. Social media consciously or subconsciously influences what we eat and how we eat. But how does the economics of viral food trends work?
Social platforms cause abrupt, huge demand shocks for specific ingredients or items. Several reports show near-vertical sales increases following viral recipes: Baked feta pasta generated quick growth in feta and cherry tomato purchases, with some retailers reporting double- and triple-digit week-over-week gains in certain categories. When those spikes occurred, retailers and supply chain planners were left with bare shelves and unexpected reorder demand.
Visual novelty, short ingredient lists, and home replicability are all characteristics of viral food fads that make them economically viable. Analysts and industry observers point out that trends that are "social media-able" (short, visually appealing, and easy to replicate) lead to searches, recipe tries, and finally sales, essentially transforming social platforms into demand-generation engines. This pattern was obvious in whipped (dalgona) coffee, cloud bread, and a variety of other short-form video phenomena.
Social media has dramatically changed how people discover, experience, and think about food. Many social media platforms transformed cooking, eating, and even grocery shopping into social events. People no longer rely solely on cookbooks or television chefs for inspiration; a quick video from a home cook or influencer can reach millions of people in hours. The majority of users now base their food-related decisions on what they see online, ranging from restaurant selection to ingredient purchases. This transition has resulted in a new "digital appetite," in which pictures, trends, and online comments influence what we eat.
Social media changes people's perceptions of food. Visual appeal frequently takes precedence over nutrition or tradition; recipes that appear colourful, creamy, or dramatic tend to go viral faster. Food trends thrive on aesthetics: melted cheese pulls, pouring sauces, and slow-motion dessert cuts entice viewers because they are enjoyable to see. This visual culture has encouraged numerous restaurants and food manufacturers to create "social media-friendly" foods that are intended to photograph well, sometimes more than to taste great. It's a new type of marketing in which attractiveness and shareability directly influence sales.
Brands and merchants are increasingly treating social media as a kind of search and discovery, rather than just advertising. Platform-driven search trends (for example, an increase in searches for recipes or specific ingredients) have prompted supermarkets and companies to respond with rapid merchandising, influencer partnerships, and trend-driven productisation. Delivery platforms and virtual kitchens have also tried to turn viral meals into sellable menu items.
The economics of attention manifests as monetary worth for producers and platforms. Platforms have enormous reach; makers and chefs turn attention into clicks and economic potential (affiliate links, branded tie-ins, or revenue sharing from delivery/virtual-kitchen ventures). News coverage and industry analysis highlight pilot programs in which platforms monetise recipes by selling them through delivery services and splitting revenue with producers.
Consumer behaviour in response to viral trends combines novelty seeking and habit forming. According to studies, many customers try a viral dish once or twice, but a small percentage adopt elements permanently (new topping habits, altered shopping carts). Retailers monitor whether search surges lead to sustained category growth or reverse fast; the answer varies according to product complexity, repeatability, and household economics.
Everything demonstrates that social platforms convert aesthetic, simple recipes into rapid, measurable demand; retailers and supply chains must adapt to highly volatile, attention-driven purchase patterns; platforms and creators monetise attention in novel ways; and researchers discover measurable changes in attitudes and purchases related to social content. For additional reading, go to the papers and articles referenced above for primary data, retail figures, and case studies.