Abstract: The way in which we connect and maintain relationships has undergone major societal shifts since the introduction of technology and social media, more specifically Facebook.  The platform and its advanced features have seen the introduction of online community groups, such as Foodies, where users can share, connect and engage with others who share a similar love of food. This paper discusses the relationship between the foodie community and millennials, addressing how the online community enables millennials to find companionship beyond their traditional densely knit communities. Many critics fear that community has been lost as a result of postmodernism, however, the Facebook foodies and their demonstrated ability to overcome challenges, such as COVID-19, are presenting a different argument. As the trend of networked individualism is being embraced by more people each day, it’s millennials and their habitual Facebook use that are guiding the transition.

There is currently a worldwide search for identity, roots and belonging due to the major social transformation community has undergone. The nineteenth century was the century of community as utopia, where everything was imagined as perfect, and community was sustained through solidarity (Delanty, 2018). However, the social structure and communicative ties of contemporary communities are presenting new ways for people to belong. Facebook is an example of the opportunity’s postmodernism has created. It is currently the most used social media site (Whitaker et al., 2017) allowing users to engage, post, and relate with one another regardless of location. The platform homes one of the world’s largest online communities, the foodie community, as it enables members to connect with fellow foodies from across the globe who share a similar passion for the subject. The community is being pioneered by millennials (Smith, 2021). Having been raised in the technological era, millennials also referred to as Generation Y, have seen themselves become the pioneers of many movements, such as the foodie movement, due to their habitual Facebook use (Hayes et al., 2015) and unique set of emotion voids these communities fill for them. The foodie community has provided the generation with a sense of meaning and a space to belong as many members share similar health-conscious and social values.  Therefore, the ever-growing global foodie community is driven by millennials and the sense of purpose the Facebook community provides them with.

How does one claim a title as a “foodie”? To many, the concept is simple, a person very interested in food (Getz & Robinson, 2014) who will take any opportunity to lavish on their expertise regarding the art of food. On the contrary, are the extreme foodies who present a checklist, similar to The Travel Industry Association of America’s (TIAA) profile of a culinary traveller, suggesting only those who have partaken in one or more cooking classes, frequently attend food festivals, indulge in gourmet shopping and visit farmers markets are worthy of their badge (2006-Profile-of-Culinary-Travelers.Pdf, n.d.). Regardless of the title’s perquisites, the online community is bigger and more influential than ever, with 53% of the American population alone considering themselves a foodie (Archive & feed, 2019). As mentioned, the ones pioneering this movement are millennials. The generation now entering their 30’s, are estimated to be the largest generation ever born. Having had predominantly information-based life experiences and growing up in an era of technological advancements (Črešnar & Jevšenak, 2019), millennials, also referred to as “digital natives” (Yonekura, 2006),  and their sophisticated pallets are presenting businesses today with unique opportunities. Proven to be hedonistically oriented individuals with values surrounding friendship, flexibility and self-enhancement it is no wonder they were proven to be the largest spender on dining out (Keeping Up with the Foodie Generation, n.d.), as the experience addresses their principle values.

The foodie community is a prime embodiment of how the shift towards communication communities is presenting new opportunities for people to belong not based on symbolic boundaries but rather organised by communication. The introduction of the internet in conjunction with globalisation and postmodernism produced a moral panic from many critics, including Taylor Dotson (Madison, 2022), who represents a nostalgia for a perfect community that never was, formulating this romanticised idealisation of community based around location. Although Dotson’s theory is relevant as the new modern age is an insecure one with less stable social ties, he fails to give justice to the rigid hierarchies and conformality to similar beliefs that caused. However, new communities and social media channels such as Facebook have provided millennials with a place to find companionship and identity online instead of being defined by traditional certainties such as race, gender and class (Delanty, 2018). Melissa Smith’s recent study on “What Foodies Are Really Hungry For” (Smith, 2021) gives insight into the emotional voids online communities, such as foodies, are filling for millennials. Smith outlines how to counter increasing loneliness, members share photos, videos and recipes to their online communities in turn for personal recognition. Increased sharing in conjunction with the renewed dining out interest has seen more of the health-conscious generation become attached to the community experience provided. People are also looking for meaning and purpose within their life, millennials especially, who have very strong social and political values, have found a sense of purpose within supporting companies that share their views and finding foods and experiences that support their emotional and physical health.  It should also be noted that many critics have diagnosed generation Y with financial melancholy, many have realised to own luxuries such as a decent house, it would take half a century worth of work (Belber, n.d.). Therefore, this financial melancholy has formulated a unique reputation for materialism amongst the generation, as they splurge on the little luxuries they can afford, such as food. These voids communication communities are filling by allowing millennials to form supportive social relations in multiple contexts (Hampton & Wellman, 2018) has provided them with a place to belong.

As mentioned, generation Y have coined themselves as the “digital natives” having had grown up in an environment surrounded by computers and technology. A study composed by Marie Hayes, Kathern Van Stolk Cooke and Fred Muench  (Hayes et al., 2015) surrounding different generations Facebook activity, highlighted millennials Facebook use and identified them as the generation who spends the most time on Facebook. The report classed millennials as being the most active users in three domains: Facebook usage overall, posting pictures of themselves and friends and engaging in friend’s posts. More specifically they utilise the apps event creation and socially interactive features, such as stories, significantly more than generation X. The generations habitual Facebook use paired with their sought after feeling of purpose are the leading contributors to the foodie community growth and seen many of them be local administrators for the page. As of currently, nearly every city has a dedicated Facebook foodie group chat. For example, Perth Foodies has amassed over 119 000 group members (Perth Foodies, n.d.), equating to 16% of Perth’s total population. The page averages roughly 70 posts per day with topics discussed ranging from the hottest new lunch spot to promotional deals to be taken advantage of. Anything food related goes. However, Facebook food pages and location are not mutually exclusive. Facebook homes thousands of groups connecting foodies across the globe, for example Indian Lovers is a public group, meaning anyone can join, with a page based in Maharashtra, India. Street Food, also a public page, homes 289 000 member across the globe, and the  NYC Food Lovers page is dedicated to fellow tourist food lovers. These online communities are embodiment of how the digital world has presented a place for belonging and a newfound form of individualism for millennials. With technology such as Facebook allowing information to move more freely and facilitating a way in which people can maintain contact despite distance has seen millennials escape the bonds of encapsulated social ties (Simmel, 1950) and pioneer the movement towards networked individualism, defined as pattens of sociability facilitated by the internet and mobile technologies characterised by portability and personalisation (Frizzo-Barker & Chow-White, 2012).

When COVID-19 hit in 2020 the relations of the foodie community were presented with a challenge, in the midst of uncertainty, as to how to maintain the strength of their bonds whilst the centralised concept of the community was restricted, dining out and sharing the experience.  In Australia, four out of five humans began staying home as per government advice in an effort to combat the community spread (Mccrindle, 2020). This behavioural change in conjunction with many hospitality businesses being permitted to operate take away only, saw a rapid downturn in food and beverage business performance, and a loss of morale amongst foodies around the globe. However, the community, led by millennials’ strong political and social views, struggled to see the industry, more specifically restaurants, be at the expense of the government’s vague directions and lack of financial aid (Nakat & Bou-Mitri, 2021). They began to embody what critic Melvin Webber preached in his 1963 paper  “Order In Diversity”, where cities are communications mechanisms, extending to the entire world  (Melvin Webber and the “Nonplace Urban Realm” – ACCESS Magazine, n.d.), successfully coming together online to tackle the issue. For example, when Australian hospitality businesses shut their doors in March of last year, the founder of Social Enterprise Streat Rebecca Scott (Hi, I’m Bec Scott | STREAT, n.d.), also a fellow foodie, began calling on local farms and cafes to cook and grow food for those most in need. Millennials and many more jumped on the initiative having been given a new sense of purpose, utilising their savvy Facebook skills, sharing and relaying the Moving Feast initiative all over local pages. The community were able to co-ordinate 80 corporations in the initiative (Aug. 21 et al., n.d.). Across the globe many transitioned into documenting their homecooked meals and sharing them on their local pages, endorsing local ingredients to support businesses, and some members even sitting down together to enjoy their meals via online video chats. The critical thinking from the community is a display of how technology has allowed people to overcome historical spatial limits and rather connect and support one another in the online world.

Community is far from disappearing. The introduction of technology and social media has provided both fragmentation and the opportunity for new community structures centred around communication. Social media platforms, such as Facebook, are constantly developing new AI features, allowing people to connect easily and information to move freely. The app’s largest users, millennials, are the ones pioneering the adaption of new features and utilising the platform to address their emotional needs. The foodie communities have afforded generation Y with a place to share, engage and connect with others who share their health and political views, providing them with a sense of purpose. Foodies are an embodiment of how people can overcome their historical spatial limits and find companionship online, encouraging the trend towards networked individualism. The future of community is unknown, the way in which people connect and maintain relationships will forever be changing as technology changes.