![]() Contributed by Willie Franke Many of us have that one friend who posts pictures of their food on social media. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a healthy snack, we can always count on pictures blowing up their news feed. Why do such people feel the need to post pictures of their food instead of just old-fashioned eating it? Imagine you’re on a date, and your date ordered something great to eat. The food comes out and by the time they’re done snapping a picture with the right lighting and posting the final product with an “original” caption, you’ve already almost finished with your dish. What do you do then? You’ve finished eating and your date is still working. Do you watch them eat? Do you talk to them while their mouth is full? No, you sit there awkwardly and you probably don’t get a second date. Yes, this example is extreme, but in reality, is it really that far out of reach? According to eater.com, people who take and post pictures of their food are believed to have a mental illness. This illness describes people’s obsessive relationship to food, which can lead to obesity. This is another extreme example, but is it unimaginable? An example that NFL or sports enthusiasts know of is what happened to Eddie Lacey, a running back of the Green Bay Packers. His story starts in college, where tweets were recovered of him posting pictures of his food and tweeting about food. From his senior year of college to his third year in the NFL, he put on roughly 50-60 pounds, including 30 in three months from draft day to training camp. This is one example of performed identity because it is a routine performed regularly, and eventually it defines who you are. Now, posting pictures of food doesn’t exactly mean you’re going to become obese. Don’t worry, it’s not always about the quantity of posts that are made if the food is healthy. Obviously, healthy food will lead to a healthier lifestyle than Eddie has been living. According to psychologytoday.com, the number two reason why people post pictures of their food is to show other people what a good job they are doing of eating healthy, and to encourage others to do the same. This is an example of self-identification because people are trying to belong to a group, or trying to start a group among their followers. For example, there may be a group on Facebook that is trying to lose weight to live a better lifestyle. They post pictures on this page to show other members their progress, and also encourage the other members to follow in their footsteps. Their pictures might also spark interest in people who would like the same meal or recipe, and they will duplicate it for themselves. In conclusion, posting pictures of food on Facebook, whether it will annoy your audience or not, is a great way to identify yourself, your goals, and your taste interests. However, be aware of what types of foods people in your network are posting. Noticing early trends of unhealthy eating may save a friend, family member, or acquaintance before they become overweight or obese. This is an easy way to track people’s eating habits too, if you pay attention closely. And one final thought: be mindful of the audience of your posts. Some people will like your post, others may become annoyed.
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![]() Contributed by Meg Takagaki On Friday, November 13, 2015, the world shivered from the terror attack in Paris, France. Not only did telecommunication outlets respond to the attack by using live reports, but also social media reacted to the event, and each social media outlet presented its own unique ways to support people in Paris.One movement seen on the Internet was Facebook encouraging its users to change their profile pictures to include the French national flag. This was the moment when I realized how influential Facebook was to the world because my Facebook NewsFeed was flooded with the colors blue, white and red. Facebook hasn’t announced the approximate number of people who joined this trend, however, it is likely that millions of profile pictures were changed worldwide. As many of my friends changed their profile pictures, at the same time, different people viewed this trend with different perspectives. One group of people mentioned that there are other effective ways to support France. Another group asked why only France gets this special filter while other countries where people die daily don’t get it. The people who changed their profile pictures mentioned that they wanted to show solidarity with the people in France. Personally, I agree with all of these opinions. Although there are ways to support France other than changing profile pictures, I believe letting people in France know that global citizens do care about them is still reassuring. Nevertheless, it is important to remind ourselves of the fact that innocent people are killed everyday for country conflicts and wars regardless of the country’s economic status. Eventually, this French national flag trend will fade away, however, I believe that it is our responsibility to take actions to support the people who underwent such trauma without being told by social media to do so. |
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