Are food bloggers a new kind of influencer?

Abstract

Understanding lifestyle journalism involves exploring its margins and borders. Since the 2000s, food blogs have precisely occupied the margins of food journalism and have challenged its borders. At the beginning of the 21th century, the technological context of the development of the Internet, the growing popularity of food in the media and the promotion of “do it yourself” have participated in the success of food blogs. The status of foodies, and more generally of hobbyists, then changed from being mere recipients of the media discourse to becoming actual news producers. Indeed, they broadcast news about food-related products, events, and people to a large audience. Even though food bloggers consider themselves as different from food and lifestyle journalists, some of their peers, readers and food companies consider them as information providers and influencers. The properties of their media – interactivity – and the status of the speakers – amateurs – create a brand new form of influence competing with that of journalists. The fact that food brands enter the blogosphere in order to buy bloggers’ influence lead some bloggers to develop relationships with PR that are similar to those of lifestyle journalists. It consequently blurs the boundaries between food blogging and food journalism. The monetization of influence leads bloggers to face new questions about their role, responsibility and activity and it questions the notion of “media professional”.