Page 139 - Prathima Volume 12

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With regard to the expectations they have from food bloggers, the majority of
respondents highlighted that they prefer honest and accurate reviews, influencers to be
more updated with the knowledge of the food culture/variety they review, mention the
price of the food items, review on the ambience and more realistic photography. On the
other hand, the attitude the respondents have on the influencer culture in Sri Lanka is
much negative. The majority of 75% tends to define the influencer culture in Sri Lanka
as yet to be developed. However, 30% also do consider that the influencer culture will
grow stronger in the future. However, the majority also pointed out concerns which are
discussed here. The existing influencer culture is extremely narrow in updating day
today lives and is dominated by self-proclaimed influencers who have no knowledge
about the role of a social media influencer, which affirms Zach Bussey's (2013)
celebrity capital concept.

Conclusion

The study on the impact of influencer culture on eating choices with special reference
to the consumption patterns of Sri Lankan urban youth attempted to engage in a deeper
understanding of the concept of influencer culture and its subjective interpretations to
Sri Lankan youth. The results highlighted that while a number of SMIs were visible in
the SNS, respondents failed to notice the strong influencer culture in digital spaces and
felt that the role of the self-proclaimed SMIs was unclear. However, in terms of the
food reviews and blogs, respondents stated that the majority presented a distorted
reality which aligned more with fantasy due to the effects of simulacra and
commercialization. This has led respondents to develop reservations when dealing
with SNS to make decisions on food consumption patterns based on digital
recommendations of SMIs. While the present study can be considered an inception to
the topic of influencer culture and consumption patterns, it would provide a directive
for future research which would present a more elaborative image of the development
of influencer culture in Sri Lanka.

References

Ariyasriwatana, W. & Quiroga, L. M. (2014). A thousand ways to say “Delicious!”-
Categorizing expressions of deliciousness from restaurant reviews on the social
network sites. Appetite, 104, pp.18-32. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.01.002.

Baudrilliard, J. (1976). Symbolic exchange and death. California: Sage Publications.

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