Social media is an influential tool in shaping attitudes, norms, and behavior, especially for younger generations. Major platforms like Instagram have over a billion users, and content around food is a major trend. Instagram alone has over 125 million posts tagged with “#vegan.”

Beyond just linking social media use to eating habits, it’s important to understand the reasons behind this connection. The theory of planned behavior suggests that actions follow intentions. These intentions are shaped by three main factors: attitudes, social norms, and how hard we think it is to change behavior.

This paper aimed to explore how social media can influence eating habits.

Studies 1 & 2

Studies 1 and 2 focused on analyzing the content of Instagram posts tagged with #vegan. The authors analyzed hashtags, images, and text from 44,316 posts to identify common themes and trends in communication about veganism

The findings revealed that posts about veganism often cover topics like food, photography, health and fitness, and cosmetics. In Study 2, the most frequently posted images were of food (35%) and non-food products like cosmetics (30%), followed by people (8%) and animals (2%). Interestingly, animal welfare and the environment were not major themes.

Studies 3 & 4

Studies 3 and 4 examined how engaging with Instagram content about veganism affects people’s intentions around eating. The researchers surveyed 371 individuals to gauge how often participants engaged and how — whether they were passively exposed to content or actively interacting by posting and sharing content. The researchers then used this data to uncover potential reasons behind this link, focusing on attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavior control.

The results showed that passive exposure to content about veganism had a stronger influence on eating intentions than active forms of engagement. This could be explained by the fact that exposure is the most universal way to interact with social media; the minority of users are content creators. Still, the results suggest that passive consumption of content can be sufficient in shaping eating decisions, and that active participation is not necessary.

Attitude and self-identity emerged as the primary drivers for behavior change. Research has shown that, for vegans, diet is more central to their identity than vegetarians. The perceived ability to change one’s behavior was a secondary mechanism. Interestingly, social norms were not related to eating intentions.

The biggest takeaway from this paper is that Instagram is a platform capable of shaping users’ eating decisions. By understanding the type of content that resonates most with users and how passive exposure is particularly influential, animal advocates can tailor their content to more effectively promote veganism and advance animal welfare.