From competitive eating videos to speed-eating challenges, food-related content is only increasing online, with food influencers now surpassing celebrity chefs in popularity, a trend that’s only getting stronger.
“Prove me wrong,” TikTok creator @faditbvfvci said. “But why is binge eating the new pandemic in 2024? If I go to Chipotle now and get a regular burrito, I’ll feel like I’m doing something wrong.”
From “secret menu” tips at popular restaurant chains to food challenges like “How many packs of ramen can you eat in one meal?”, overeating is all the rage in the United States, even as food insecurity reaches staggering levels.
One TikTok user shared his theory that “binge eating” is the most outrageous new food trend on social media, saying, “It’s like the opposite of The Hunger Games.”
“Why do we feel like we need to order something to drink, buy Doritos at 7-Eleven beforehand, or order from a secret menu? [expletive] To feel something?”
Not only did the creator point out the absurdity of many online food trends, but it also sparked a broader debate about the popularity of these videos: Many mukbang creators and food influencers are making thousands of dollars a month from their videos, sometimes even $10,000, but who is watching them?
For many people, watching people eat foods they can’t afford or won’t eat because they are food insecure fills a void that makes the content addictive.
On the surface, these food trends and videos seem harmless. What could be more neutral and uncontroversial than eating? We all have to eat. But beneath the surface, there’s an unsettling (and, according to this creator, greedy) vibe that’s hard to ignore.
Many have speculated as to why food creators have become so popular on social media, but it’s dystopian to say the least.
The creator likens the broader scope of food consumption videos to a dystopian reality that’s the polar opposite of “The Hunger Games.”
Instead of being mindful of food consumption and being realistic about portions, the trend is encouraging unhealthy, intemperate eating, he said.
Despite his opinions, what’s surprising is that these videos actually correspond to the dystopian world of “The Hunger Games,” where some people have nothing while others over-consume and flaunt their excess to the world.
Whether subconsciously or not, the “provocative” nature of food challenges and eating contests is at odds with the reality of families struggling to put food on the table. Unsettling and disturbing, we can’t take our eyes off the “crunchy ASMR” and over-filled burrito bowls.
At a time of rising food insecurity and rising food prices, observing excessive eating and drinking indulges the senses.
About 50 million people in the U.S. are food insecure, so while fast-food makbangs and fancy dinners may seem dystopian, many people are consuming them to fill the void.
Many speculate that these food influencers actually waste food by “spitting” it out between edits and videos, meaning they’re not only spreading the myth of overeating, they’re also wasting tons of food for profit.
While consuming food-related content has both positive and negative effects, many frequent viewers are lonely and isolated, craving the atmosphere of communal dining, or trying to satisfy innate needs that they cannot or do not want to physically fulfill.
For some, it’s purely entertainment — but it’s impossible to ignore the larger problem of ignorance that stems from this online industry of food trends, and the disturbing irony it brings to our current reality.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango, specializing in health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories.
