You are what you eat: A social media study of food identity

Abstract

Food preferences not only originate from a person's dietary habits, but also reflect personal values and consumer awareness. This study addresses `food identity' or the relationship between food preferences and personal attributes based on the concept of `food left-wing' (e.g., vegetarians) and `food right-wing' (e.g., fast-food lovers) by analyzing social data using information entropy and networks. The results show that food identity extends beyond the domain of food: The food left-wing has a strong interest in socio-environmental issues, while the food right-wing has a higher interest in large-scale shopping malls and politically conservative issues. Furthermore, the social interactions of food left-wing and right-wing factions show segregated structures, indicating different information consumption patterns. These findings suggest that food identity may be applicable as a proxy for personal attributes and offer insights into potential buying patterns.