Why Do We Instagram Our Food?

There has been scientific research done as to why people spend a long time finding the perfect shot, filtering their images and posting it onto Instagram before they eat their meals. But none of that research matters when people continue to do it. The research can you call narcissistic and it can call you a ‘millennial’ for the rest of your life, but it’s just something we all do. Even our parents, who initially found this whole process exhausting, now happily participate in helping you get the perfect shot of your food.

Research aside, there are so many great and simple reasons why people Instagram their food. Not that it’s clear who started this trend or who created all the hashtags that go with it, but it is one of the most popular trends on Instagram. Search for #food and you are presented with some of the most beautiful photographs ever. You don’t even have to be a food photographer (or a photographer, for that matter) to truly enjoy this. And while your non-Instagramming friends might judge you mercilessly for how long you take to get the perfect shot, angles matter.

As someone who Instagrams everything I eat, whether it looks good or not, let me break down the reasons why anybody might actually spend time doing this.

Reasons Why We Do It

+ Because you’re eating good food
Often you go to a new restaurant and you are amazed by what you’re eating. More often than not, the food doesn’t taste as good as it looks, but nobody on Instagram cares about the taste as long as it looks good. What they say isn’t true, looks do matter and that is honestly all Instagram cares about.

+ Because you want to share it with people
Sharing is caring might or might not have been something that you were taught as a child, but even if it wasn’t, you can still share the visuals of a beautiful dish instead of sharing the dish itself. You’re also informing people in the area (and outside) that if they go to a certain place, they’ll get a dish as beautiful and delicious as the one you’ve just eaten.

+ Because you want to be able to display what you’ve made
A lot of home bakers and chef use Instagram to put their hardwork on display. It’s a great platform to show people that you are a chef, that you’re baking or cooking new dishes and giving them a preview of what is to come. So often, restaurants get more patrons because they’ve seen a dish on Instagram and can’t wait to try it.

+ Because it makes people jealous and want it more!
Let’s be honest, a lot of people post beautiful food on Instagram to show off. While it’s not a bad thing, it’s also frustrating for other people. Imagine stumbling into the #food tag on Instagram and seeing food from New York on your feed, but you’re a million miles away. It’s not necessarily a way to make you jealous, but you do feel quite terrible when you’re far away.

+ Because you love food
The only reason you’re taking pictures of food is because you like it. Sure, there are those that take pictures of things they don’t care about that much, but food is a much more specialized kind of thing.

Let the haters say what they want to say, if you love food and you love Instagram, then you should just keep doing this. Everybody has their own way of taking pictures and posting it on Instagram, there isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. Got some pictures to share with us?

Follow us on Instagram (@HungryForeverCo) to see what we’re enjoying and what we want you to check out as well.