“Mind your figure! Watch, but don’t eat”: A content analysis of eating and appearance-related messages in eating videos on social media

Abstract

Research has shown that certain eating videos on YouTube (e.g., mukbang) contain unhealthy eating behaviours and that viewers may focus on hosts’ body type portrayed in these videos. However, there is currently no analysis of the messages conveyed in a wider range of eating videos, nor of the differences among various video-sharing platforms (e.g., cultural differences between popular Western and Chinese platforms). Therefore, the current study analysed eating and appearance-related messages from a range of eating-related videos (e.g., mukbang, eating challenge; N = 180), and compared the differences in these messages across three platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Bilibili). Results showed that most videos included young adult Asian or Caucasian hosts who engaged in overeating and displayed visual interactions and verbal or written exchanges (via captions or comments) between hosts and viewers, demonstrating that social media eating videos are engaging. Approximately half of the videos portrayed thin bodies. There were significant differences across the three platforms (e.g., more overeating featured in YouTube videos), which suggests that different platforms contain various types of messages of concern, and that different groups of people may be vulnerable to the possible impact of watching eating-related content on their eating behaviour and body image across the platforms.