Unravelling the role of social media on young adults’ cooking journey: a qualitative research

Purpose This study aims to investigate how social media influences the culinary learning journey of young adults in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach This study used qualitative research by using semi-structured interviews with 31 young adults (aged 19–24 years) living in the Southern region of Brazil, who interacted with social media cooking content and put the acquired information into practice when cooking at home. Interviews were audio recorded during video calls and transcribed verbatim. Inductive and reflexive six-step thematic analysis was employed to develop themes. Findings Two themes were developed from the thematic analysis. Learning the basics and beyond – when reflecting on their own process of learning to cook, young adults who reported starting to cook earlier in life (4–12 y.o.) informed using social media to broaden their culinary repertoire beyond the basics learned in the family environment. In contrast, those who reported starting to cook later in adolescence and young adulthood (15–22 y.o.) accessed social media to learn the basics. A video is worth a thousand words – participants claimed to be dependent on the video technology available on social media such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest in the context of cooking. Watching food being prepared on social media was linked to a feeling of pleasure. Originality/value The last few decades have seen a substantial growth in the application of technology in both food preparation and the understanding of food. Simultaneously, individuals are experiencing changes in the way culinary skills are transmitted across generations. Social media plays a crucial role in conveying cooking-related information to younger individuals, and this paper aims to explore how it influences the culinary learning journey of young adults.