Other findings from the survey included the statistic that an average respondent spends at least four hours of their day on social media; that food-related content appears at least seven times throughout the day on their feeds; and that the average person follows at least 10 different food-related accounts.
A whopping 73 per cent of survey takers admitted to spending extra time making their food look more attractive for social media posts, while 67 per cent of respondents indicated that they would want to be “snack influencers” if they had the chance.
It’s unsurprising considering how successfully recipe content creators and food influencers have harnessed the power of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to push quick, eye-catching cooking videos to the masses – building followings in the millions, and monetising their feeds.
One only has to think back to the early days of the pandemic, when dalgona coffee – that sickly sweet drink popularised by influencers in South Korea – became 2020’s most popular social media food trend.
The mystery of the takeaway paper cup that became a Hong Kong icon
Since then, nary a month goes by without a dish or drink – as brilliant or banal as it is – going viral.
Remember baked #fetapasta, where influencers all had their go at roasting an entire block of feta cheese over tagliatelle and cherry tomatoes for a simple one-dish meal? Or the endless streams of spicy noodles making the most of a few tablespoons of chilli crisp, peanut butter and dark vinegar (mukbang-style shot of noodles being slurped, definitely not optional)?
More recently, you may have noticed everyone having a go at marinating Korean-style mayak eggs: rather salaciously referred to as “drug eggs”, the glossy, soft-boiled specimens bathing gloriously in Tupperware filled with soy sauce, a smattering of red and green chilli confetti, and a constellation of white sesame seeds.
And of course there are grilled cheese pulls – so many grilled cheese pulls.
Fomo – a term coined by Patrick McGinnis in 2004 in a Harvard student newspaper, and used extensively in the mainstream media since 2010 – has been defined as a “pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent”, according to British psychologists who studied the social phenomenon.
This urge to stay connected is exacerbated by the fact that social media is meant to bring us closer together. In the context of Foodmo, it becomes less about needing to belong, and more about the social peacocking that goes in tandem with showcasing one’s culinary prowess and knowledge when eating or making a trending food item.
I’ve thought about this before, more in relation to dining when travelling than seeking out trending recipes. In a time where real-life exploration is dictated or even dominated by your own “discovery” tab on social media apps, the constant feeling that there is always something you might be missing out on is unpleasant – and difficult to excavate yourself from without unplugging completely.
In recent weeks, my Instagram feed has been serving up the same type of content from creators around the world who have travelled to try that viral caramel pudding made by an octogenarian in Tokyo’s Heckeln coffee shop, or who have queued up to buy bread and coffee from Onion, one of Seoul’s trendiest bakery cafes that now has hours-long waits as would-be influencers queue to get their taste of what they’ve until then only seen on their screens.
According to a 2021 paper titled “Fear of missing out: A brief overview of origin, theoretical underpinnings and relationship with mental health” by Mayank Gupta and Aditya Sharma, there are other implications when it comes to Fomo.
“It may impair an individual’s ability to make commitments and agreements, as one feels inclined to keep options open and not risk losing out on an important, potentially life-changing experience which may offer greater meaning and personal gratification.
“Today, more than ever, people are exposed to a lot of details about what others are doing; and people are faced with the continuous uncertainty about whether they are doing enough or if they are where they should be in terms of their life.”
By all means, visit that cafe you’ve bookmarked, and bake that delicious looking cake for the ’gram. But it’s OK to just double tap and move on, too.
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