Food-Related Social Media and Mental Well-being: A Conceptual Framework for Digital Food Inclusion and Social Inclusion

Abstract

The study aims to understand how food-related social media can influence people’s experiences of social inclusion and mental well-being. It introduces the concept of Digital Food Inclusion to look beyond  simple access to online food content and focus on participation, belonging, recognition,  and psychological safety.This conceptual study brings together the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) perspective, Self-Determination Theory, the Social Identity Approach, and Social Comparison Theory. The framework considers informational, interpersonal and community-based, and representational experiences on food-related social media.The  framework suggests that useful information, supportive interactions, self expression, and participation in online food communities can encourage competence, autonomy, relatedness, belonging, recognition, and social support. At the same time, idealised food, body and lifestyle representations, social comparison, judgement, and stigma may create feelings of inadequacy, distress, dissatisfaction, and withdrawal. These experiences may therefore contribute to either inclusion or exclusion depending on how people participate and experience digital food spaces.The study introduces Digital Food Inclusion as a conceptual lens that connects food-related social media experiences with social inclusion and mental well-being. It shifts attention from simply having access to social media towards the quality and nature of participation.