Abstract
Food is so inextricably linked to our lives that in some cultures, food-related expressions are used even in formulaic greetings, such as ‘Have you eaten today?’ in South Korea. Thus, the interplay between food and language is not only an essential component of human experience but also a marker of displaying human identity and ideologies. In this regard, digital media technologies create new communicative opportunities and thus allow blurring of the distinction between authors and readers, making consumers of information ‘prosumers’, who are both producers and consumers of information (e.g. Rousseau, 2012; Seargeant and Tagg, 2014; Vásquez, 2014). In this regard, this edited volume navigates the intersection of two vital parts of modern life by bringing together a variety of studies that examine food-related digital communication in diverse cultural, social, and economic contexts. The studies presented in this volume can satisfy readers who are foodies (i.e. people who love to eat/are interested in food) and, at the same time, researchers interested in discourse analysis. In addition to having various multicultural food-related topics, the authors of these studies employ various discourse analytic frameworks in their research. Thus, both established and emerging scholars who are interested in digital food discourse will find the details and resources presented in this book informative.
This book is thematically divided into three main parts, with three subsections in each part organized around respective themes. The studies in the first part, ‘Negotiating Individual Identities in Online Food Contexts’, explore identity construction and negotiation in online food contexts in various ways (i.e. various topics and research methods). In Chapter 1, Didem İkizoğlu and Cynthia Gordon examine the identity construction of so-called ‘picky eaters’ through computer-mediated discourse analysis. By analyzing picky eaters’ discursive strategies and linguistic features, the authors demonstrate that picky eaters’ way of constructing their identity is influenced by a ‘broad cultural ideology’, in which picky eating is considered a problem, and thus it is treated as something to be solved. The authors scrutinize not only the broad discursive strategies but also look specifically at certain linguistic features, such as the use of affective verbs, negation, and modal verbs. The authors nicely demonstrate how picky eaters are influenced by social norms and thus self-identify as picky eaters. Chapter 2, by Jana Declercq, Stéphan Tulkens, and Geert Jacobs, focuses on individuals’ food choices, which can be a marker of their socioeconomic status and cultural, personal, and ethical beliefs (i.e. moral decisions). This study is noteworthy for two reasons. First, the authors choose an infotainment TV show aired by Belgium’s Dutch-language public broadcaster. This shifts focus to languages other than English; the authors argue that most CMC data still centers around English and speakers of English. Secondly, the authors bring a unique perspective by employing the theoretical framework of the information society (Webster, 2006), and their findings reveal that the audience of this program tends to be well-informed, rational consumers, and yet they also easily get influenced by prevalent social and cultural ideologies about healthy eating, eating animals, and eating uncommon animals. Chapter 3, by Gwynne Mapes, examines historical eating practices by employing the notion of ‘chronotope’ by Bakhtin (1981). More specifically, the author focuses on how antiquated food is represented, especially on social media. In addition to looking at the representation of antiquated food, the author shows how the reproduction of antiquated food is used contrastively to construct and maintain users’ contemporary elite status. The author adopts various analytic approaches, including content analysis, discourse analysis, and multimodal analysis. This integration of analytic approaches allows not only an overall description of the data but also fine-grained interpretation and following criticism of it.
Part Two, ‘ (Re)constructing and (Re)Imagining Existing Food-related Language, Practices, and Actions in Digital Environments’, focuses on food-related language use and on interactions between online users. In Chapter 4, Cornelia Gerhardt analyzes vegan discourse and veganism, a global trend and, at the same time, one that is often challenged by discrimination in a carnivore/omnivore diet society. The author first illuminates the fact that veganism represents a multifaceted lifestyle choice rather than just a specific diet, and thus veganism can be divided into two categories: ‘ethical’ and ‘health’ vegans (Dyett et al., 2013; Radnitz et al., 2015). The author then identifies veganism as a cross-cultural, global phenomenon by analyzing the lexical choices of the three vegan food blogs from different cultures. By analyzing adjectives and modifiers used in these blogs, the author reveals that the most used adjective, vegan, is utilized to modify food and its ingredients, and this also re-emphasizes that non-vegan food and animal products are unmarked. In Chapter 5, Camilla Vásquez examines interactions in online food-related review sites between restaurant representatives and reviewers and focuses on negative reviews. By looking at rhetorical strategies of businesses’ public responses on review sites, the author identifies business owners’ multiple discursive strategies to maintain their reputations. The author identifies different approaches based on the review’s specificity, for example, the restaurant representatives tend to use different strategies in respecting general versus specific food complaints. In addition to looking at strategies, food reviewers’ evaluative adjectival phrases are also discussed in this study, which might be helpful for readers who are interested in comparable research topics. Chapter 6, by Hanwool Choe, sheds light on the popular livestream trend in Korea, Mukbang (i.e. eating show). While interactions during mealtimes have been researched by many scholars, the data has typically been restricted to interactions among family or friends. This study, however, broadens the scope of the data not only into a digital context but also to include interactions between people who do not know each other. By adopting a multimodality analytic approach, the findings reveal that the value of commensality (i.e. eating together at the same table), which is uniquely presented in Korea, is realized virtually.
The final part, ‘Using Food as a Discursive and Material Resource for Online Activism and Political Engagement’, covers digital food discourse as a resource for online activism and political involvement. In Chapter 7, Nadine Pierce, Isidoropaolo Casteltrione, and Ana Tominc focus on people growing their own food, the so-called ‘Grow Your Own (GYO)’ movement, which has received attention recently. The authors claim that this activity is a form of digital food activism, and they analyze GYO blogs. Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is adopted to better understand how GYO bloggers construct their identities: they represent themselves as educated individuals or relative experts who are concerned with capitalism, environmental issues, and the globalized food system. The authors further demonstrate the power relations between writers (GYO bloggers) and the audience: the writers educate and influence the audience through pinpointing and raising awareness of issues. In Chapter 8, Najma Al Zidjaly, Einas Al Moqbali, and Ahad Al Hinai focus on a viral video: Emiratis children beating a bag of Chips Oman (a savory national snack in Oman). This video led Internet users to engage in attacks and counterattacks on Twitter with the hashtag #Chips_Oman. The authors thus investigate political discourse and conflicts between Omanis versus Emiratis, Omanis versus Omanis, and Omanis versus the Omani government. They analyze how a food item can be a source for attack, counterattack, and identity construction. The authors focus on morality and impoliteness because the moral order is considered via a ritualistic process of expression of identity in Arabic contexts, thus revealing Omanis’ moral stances and identity construction. Chapter 9, by Alla Tovares, focuses on Russia’s boycott of Western imported food and shows how food becomes an index for people’s identity, stance, and socio-political status. By examining comments on YouTube, the author identifies commenters’ stances on the current political situation, especially through their lexical choices and linguistic strategies. This study has an important contribution in the sense that it analyzes the relationship between YouTube videos and their comments; in particular, the author examines how the video shapes and promotes the discussion. Researchers interested in analyzing YouTube video comment interaction would benefit from this study.
This book is recommended to researchers who are interested in either digital discourse or food. Readers will appreciate the various topics and various linguistic/cultural contexts, as well as the range of research methods and theoretical/analytical frameworks. At the same time, the density of the theoretical/analytical material in this volume could suggest that the volume is aimed primarily at more experienced scholars instead of novice scholars. Nevertheless, any scholar interested in food and digital discourse will find it interesting and enlightening, and readers who plan to conduct research in this area should consider this volume as an excellent guide for possible research directions.