The other day, I ran across a short article about angry French chefs and the occasional run in with the amateur food pornographer, i.e. me and just about everyone you know on Instagram, and I gotta say…they kinda have a point…sometimes.
Just as there is phone etiquette on when and where it is improper to be thumbing through Facebook (like funerals?? Hello…. can you believe people actually IG coffins? Gross.), I agree there are certain times when foodie pics are not exactly appropriate to take. Keep in mind, this article is from across the pond. Maybe the horror of food porn hasn’t made its way to the states yet. IG etiquette can obviously extend to other situations, but for the sake of food here are some do’s and don’ts:
When It’s NOT OK to IG your meal:
Super Duper Fancy Restaurants: If you must, no flash and do it before anyone sees you. You shouldn’t seem like you’ve never seen a steak before, or those cool nifty things that sweep away bread crumbs (so cool!). This is a very formal meal which requires you……to hold your fork and knife unlike a barbarian. Put the phone away.
Business Dinners/Lunches: Depending on the work environment and your boss, you don’t want to look weird to your superiors (Guilty! Oh for the sake of the blog!). A good rule of thumb to follow, is to follow their lead. If they are a fellow foodie and they are taking pics, by all means, photograph the crap out of your lump crab salad. If not, then don’t do it. You want to seem professional, not easily amused by a cup of soup. You want them to know you do eat on a regular basis and meals aren’t hard to come by in your world.
Funerals/Hospital: This should be obvious, but I’ve seen so many check ins and IGs of people at funerals and hospitals where they are supposed to be mourning and are supposed to be sad! Anything at funerals should not be shared on IG, especially not food wise. I totally get remembrance photos, but anything else is weird as hell. This is a time to get off your phone and mourn, not IG what you ate. You disgust me!!!
When it’s OK to IG your meal:
Just about everywhere else.
You may have heard the term Millennials and Generation Y a lot. If you haven’t then that kind of proves my points. We are Gen Y. We are the coddled generation, the narcissistic and entitled generation, Generation Me. But most importantly, we are the generation with massive spending power. Gen Y-ers, which comprises of people between ages 17-35, possess $200 billion in direct spending power according to Hanover Research.
Our influence is definitely connected to our social media/tech habits and sharing our opinions about food and the places we go is a huge deal. Huge. Businesses succeed and crumble under the power of the shared media. (Insert how much I hate Tanoshii’s crap ramen here). Share away. I for one, definitely enjoy it’s usefulness.
