JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The rise of video-based social media platforms and the shift towards a video-first content strategy by social media companies have altered how people consume and engage with food-related content. However, little is known about how young adults experience, interpret and are influenced by food-related videos on social media across different national and cultural contexts.

Objective:

This paper explores how young adults in Jamaica and the United Kingdom experience, interpret and are influenced by food-related videos on social media.

Methods:

Twelve focus groups (online and in-person, six in Jamaica and six in the UK) were conducted between August and November 2024 with young adults (N=60) aged 18–25 years. Discussions explored their experiences with food-related videos. Transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, complemented by framework analysis and the constant comparison method to facilitate cross-national and cross-cultural comparison.

Results:

Our analysis generated four themes: (1) young adults balance algorithmic influence with personal curation; (2) young adults engage with food-related videos for relaxation, amusement, and learning; (3) young adults evaluate food-related content through enquiry and strategy — using quick credibility checks such as comparing sources, reviewing comments, assessing transparency, and considering cultural context before deciding whether to trust or ignore content; and (4) food choices form at the intersection of online and offline worlds. A unified high-order theme, “A Journey of Influence,” captures how young adults move from exposure to evaluation and filter digital experiences through offline realities, leading to change or continuity in dietary attitudes and behaviours. Although this journey was consistent across Jamaica and the UK, the ways young adults interpreted food-related content varied culturally. For example, Jamaican participants often gauged food content through the lens of Jamaica’s food culture, whereas UK participants displayed a broader diversity of cultural perspectives on food.

Conclusions:

This cross-national qualitative study showcases how and why young adults engage with food-related videos on social media, and how these interactions shape their attitudes and behaviours towards food and nutrition. Our conceptual map visualises the influence of food-related videos as a dynamic process unfolding across digital and offline environments, identifying three decision points for intervention: exposure, evaluation, and contextualisation. These findings highlight opportunities to design youth-responsive digital nutrition interventions that recognise young adults’ agency and the sociocultural and material realities that shape their food choices and eating habits. Clinical Trial: Not applicable.