Page 133 - Prathima Volume 12

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Youth can be viewed as one of the key social groups that engage with SNS in daily life
as they are keener to embrace new technologies than other groups of the society.
Technology for youth functions as an agency of 'emotions, cognition and social
patterns' (Khalid, Jayasainan & Hassim, 2018). Stu dies by Bolton et al. (2013),
Brosdahl and Carpenter (2011) highlight that youth utilize SNS to 'regularly interact,
seek entertainment and moderate feelings with each other' (Khalid, Jayasainan &
Hassim, 2018). Of the different types of SNS used by youth, some of the commonly
used SNS are Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google Plus, WeChat, WhatsApp,
Twitter, Tumblr and QZone (Brosdahl and Carpenter, 2011). Of these, Facebook and
Instagram are recognized as the most attractive and records higher user rates. This is
mainly due to the interactive features of the two sites where users are given the
opportunity to interact with much freedom and intimacy with others (Brosdahl and
Carpenter, 2011). Simultaneously, through search functions users are able to connect
with like-minded communities. It is in such a landscape, that youth no longer require
much assistance from the literal world in requesting recommendations on varied
topics and can rely on the digital space. In addition to this, SNS are used by individuals
and groups as a platform to educate users about choices of food, travel, clothing, etc.

In the current digital practices among users, recording consumer dining experiences
via online reviews and social media posts have become a social trend which is
supported by fellow users who utilize the reviews to seek new dining experiences
(Ariyasriwatana & Quiroga, 2014). This social trend is also transformed into a
marketing strategy by novel eateries to promote their products via food reviews.
Studies highlight that food obsessions for which SNS are utilized are referred to as
#foodporn (Mejova et al., 2016). It is in this context that social media influencers
(SMIs) emerge as individuals or groups who share their food related experiences
among a large number of followers. This study attempts to evaluate the influence of
social media influencers (SMIs) on the youth in Sri Lanka with specific reference to
food consumption. The analysis attempted to trace the consumption patterns and the
role of the SMIs within a larger cultural context.

2. Literature Review

Within the Sri Lankan context, the usage of SNS can be considered ubiquitous. Of a
population of about 21 million, over 6.71 million use the internet and over 6 million are
active on SNS. Of this, the majority of the users can be considered as youth who
mainly engage in Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber and Google Plus (SoravJain, 2018).
The emergence of a social media influencer culture has a very short history where
individuals have taken on the role of SMIs mainly for food and travel in the urban parts
of Colombo influenced by the Western global trends of the social media influencer
persona. While, SMIs are gaining popularity and more social acceptance in the digital
spaces, this still remains a novel concept to the majority of the population expect for
the youth who endorse and engage with SMIs on different levels.

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