# Fetishizing Food in Digital Age: #foodporn Around the World

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.00229 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1603.00229/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 1 Mar 2016.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [A Comprehensive Survey of Image-Based Food Recognition and Volume Estimation Methods for Dietary Assessment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.11776/) (2021)
- [Othering and low status framing of immigrant cuisines in US restaurant reviews and large language models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.07645/) (2023)
- [Formation of Social Ties Influences Food Choice: A Campus-Wide Longitudinal Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.08755/) (2021)

## Abstract (arXiv)

What food is so good as to be considered pornographic? Worldwide, the popular #foodporn hashtag has been used to share appetizing pictures of peoples' favorite culinary experiences. But social scientists ask whether #foodporn promotes an unhealthy relationship with food, as pornography would contribute to an unrealistic view of sexuality. In this study, we examine nearly 10 million Instagram posts by 1.7 million users worldwide. An overwhelming (and uniform across the nations) obsession with chocolate and cake shows the domination of sugary dessert over local cuisines. Yet, we find encouraging traits in the association of emotion and health-related topics with #foodporn, suggesting food can serve as motivation for a healthy lifestyle. Social approval also favors the healthy posts, with users posting with healthy hashtags having an average of 1,000 more followers than those with unhealthy ones. Finally, we perform a demographic analysis which shows nation-wide trends of behavior, such as a strong relationship (r=0.51) between the GDP per capita and the attention to healthiness of their favorite food. Our results expose a new facet of food "pornography", revealing potential avenues for utilizing this precarious notion for promoting healthy lifestyles.