Abstract

In today’s digital era, Instagram is one of the most influential social media across the entire globe. It is a platform where food bloggers have the potential to influence food trends, consumer beliefs, and revolutionize Malaysian food culture. The paper explains how Malaysian food bloggers on Instagram is a cultural bridge, creates the connection between tradition and modernity, while disseminating Malaysia’s food culture both locally and globally. Furthermore, this paper will also explore how food bloggers have shaped Malaysia’s local food culture through an analysis of how food trends have been created over time. These are encompassed by how they affect food choices, food content becoming more visible on the internet, and viral foods gaining popularity. Furthermore, it discusses the problems faced by food blogging becoming too commercialized or losing its authenticity within the industry.

Introduction

The online media has reshaped the way the majority of people find, learn about, and engage with food, particularly on Instagram. Instagram, being a visually pleasing medium, opens up possibilities for food bloggers, content creators and influencers to drive Instagram users towards their engaging and delicious food stories, shape eating culture and make food trends happen. They have set what is deemed fashionable and desirable in the food world and have become focal tastemakers, where food is embedded in the cultural identity of Malaysia. Over the years, food bloggers have expanded its influence rapidly for shaping its dining trends and influencing consumer selections on Instagram. Food bloggers play a significant role in shaping Malaysia’s culinary preferences by promoting food trends, influencing local dining culture, and representing Malaysian cuisine globally.

As digital content creation becomes more accessible, food bloggers have made use of the storytelling methods to integrate personal histories and local experiences into their post. Not only they have focused on the food in these stories but also both cultural and social significance behind the variety of dishes. Through Instagram, food bloggers have brought Malaysian’s diverse food culture to the world’s attention. The popularity of food content also reflects the evolving of consumer behaviour, where food is now an experience to be shared and no longer is just about hunger.

The rise of food blogging on Instagram

With Instagram’s focus on the visuals, food photography and videography have become the heart of the content. High quality images, short videos, and interactive stories are used among Instagram food bloggers in order to attract in their audiences. The appearance of the beautifully presented dishes along with the persuasive storytelling makes food content gain the number of shares on Instagram, encouraging users to discover new dining spots, trying variety of recipes and keeping up with the latest food trends.

Food blogging in the early 2000s, has evolved dramatically from a personal blog to being vibrant, and to social media driven content that we all see today in Malaysia. Unlike traditional food journalism, Instagram food bloggers rely on user-generated content, restaurant partnerships, and reviews to go viral and be credible. Furthermore, Instagram also plays a major role in this evolution by offering features like hashtags that emphasis the influence of food bloggers. It has also helped food bloggers to grow their followings and shape food trends, influencing where and what people eat, which favours eye-catching and engaging content. In order to give its followers an even more engaging experience, food bloggers can share photos such as real-time restaurant visits, behind-the-scenes moment, step-by-step cooking demonstrations and to create a more interesting experience for their followers.

Aside from showcasing food content, Instagram food bloggers influence not only what they eat but also the consumer behaviour of its audience. Their recommendation they deliver determines on public opinion, and thus the demand for specific restaurants, foods, or meals. With the algorithm that rewards beautiful and engaging content on the platform, highly engaged bloggers can build mass followings. The influence that they have is significant, both on individual dining and broader-scale trends in food among Malaysia’s restaurants.

Influence on Local Food Trends

Food bloggers on Instagram have played a crucial role in popularizing both types of dishes and food places and being able to render everyday dishes viral and influencing what Malaysians eat and where they eat. The appeal of certain food trends that have gone viral, including bubble tea, burnt cheesecake, and dishes made with salted egg yolks, has been enhanced partly due to the ability of Instagram to promote posts through hashtags and influencer partnerships. Food selection has also come under considerable impact, with restaurants modifying menus to suit consumer demand.

For example, the Spanish well-known dessert, burnt cheesecake that once gained its popularity online and had become one of the necessary products in Malaysia. According to Buckley (2024), burnt cheesecake was the ‘Flavor of the Year’ in 2021, based on the New York Times. A burnt cheesecake case study on a burnt cheesecake revealed that its demand rises exponentially when Instagram influencers shared visually appealing images, which led to an increased number is searches and sales in local bakeries. This trend not only influenced consumer demand but also inspired local restaurants and cafes to make changes on their menu to keep up with the evolving tastes. Apart from influencing specific food trends, Instagram food influencers profoundly affect small businesses by directing foot traffic to underrated restaurants. A single post by a well-known food blogger can make a difference in the ascending number of customer visits, rendering small food gain visibility in a competitive setting, promoting undiscovered gems and traditional hawker centers to younger audiences who exclusively engage with digital content. (Khalid et al., 2018)

Shaping Culinary Identity and Tradition

While Instagram plays a part in popularizing Malaysian food through food bloggers, it also aids in modernizing and reinventing it. One of the primary tasks of food bloggers is mediating between traditional and modern food culture. Instagram has provided room for inheriting Malaysian food and space for celebrating exploratory approaches such as fusion cuisine. Dishes like laksa and nasi lemak have also been recreated to accommodate contemporary preferences. Other well-known local foods like rendang, cendol and satay have been adapted into internationally-themed versions, from rendang tacos to cendol milkshakes. The visually-driven qualities of Instagram encourage visual attractiveness, causing both chefs and home cook chefs to be creative in their presentation and ingredients. Not only does this make food appear to be more modern, but it also alters the manner in which it is consumed and exchanged across different cultures.

However, others argue that social media inspires cultural appreciation and creativity, critics warn that it ricks diluting the authenticity of traditional cuisine. But many see these modifications as a way to stay relevant in a globalized world. Food bloggers are in the middle of this debate, some uphold traditional ways, whereas others encourage new reinterpretations appealing to younger digitally savvy crowds.

Government agencies and tourism commissions have also employed the influence of food bloggers to market Malaysian cuisine globally, shaping its international reputation. This intersection of food, culture, and social media emphasizes the evolving role of Instagram in reframing national culinary identity.

Globalization and Malaysian Food Representation

Apart from advertising classical food, Instagram food bloggers have also changed how Malaysian cuisine is portrayed around the world through telling a story that combines the element of being authentic with a dash of trendy appeal. As means of attracting foreign audiences, the majority of influencers portray food as something accessible in terms of conformation to international dining tastes and standards rather than just showcasing it as national cultural heritage. This strategic representation enables them to reach out to more people and become part of world food conversations.

Simultaneously, to match international food trends, heritage foods like the Malaysian flatbread, popularly known as ‘roti canai’ or a fish noodle soup flavoured with tamarind, known as ‘asam laksa’ are usually served on plates with contemporary methods or with little decoration. True to cultural heritage, this visual appealing story engages individuals from all over the world and inspires them to explore Malaysian food with a contemporary outlook.

Some influencers focus on highlighting Malaysian uniqueness in what ingredient they utilize rather than mixing local food cuisine with foreign tastes. For example, they can emphasize the widespread use of pandan, coconut milk, or gula melaka in upscale, and innovative terms. Such ingredients that were once used as tastes without losing their cultural meanings.

However, with more world engagement, selective representation is also posed by global attention. There might be partial or biased representation of Malaysia’s culinary diversity as a result of the typical omissions of foods that are less desirable or more difficult to sell. For instance, foods like fermented durian, known as ‘tempoyak’ and indigenous herbs, known as ‘ulam’, are rarely featured due to its overpowering flavours. This selective presentation has the inverse consequence of projecting a limited global image of Malaysian food, where merely good looking or internationally desired foods are featured. Hence, the representation of Malaysian food globally on Instagram is an intentional balancing act among authenticity, marketability, and national pride.

Challenges and Ethical Concerns

While influencers like Aiman Yusoff, Foodescape, and Malaysian food blog communities such as KL Foodie and Penang Foodie have gained enormous followings and a significant amount of influence. On top of that, they are also being questioned more and more regarding their ethics, transparency and authenticity. Sponsored content is one of the main issues arisen. Most food bloggers collaborate with restaurants but not all make the sponsored advertising clear. This has left followers having a tough time to distinguish between genuine opinions and paid promotions. When influencer or food bloggers value payment more than authenticity, it may seriously affect their credibility. Therefore, there may be a disconnection between the hype on the internet and the actual experience once people visit the highly advertised and recommended restaurants by the influencer, whose are looking forward to great food and being let down.

Not only that, but algorithmic favouritism is also a concern. Highly stylized “aesthetic” food posting on Instagram are typically promoted with greater visibility. Thus, home-prepared foods that are traditional in nature like ikan bakar, rendang pucuk ubi, or nasi ambeng are sometimes replaced by nicely presented café foods or dessert trends on Malaysian food blogs. This has limited Malaysia’s unique culinary identity on the Internet and is a component of the underexposure of culturally important products. Also, the continuous repetition of postings among the local food bloggers is now being criticized increasingly. The majority of them published the same trendy restaurants, which limited true culinary discovery and created content fatigue. Some also plagiarize viral trends from other pages without attribution.

Given the rising influence of the community, ethical practices are of utmost importance, ranging from transparent advertising to the representation of diversity in food coverage, and the safeguarding of original creators. The lack of these habits, the credibility and cultural accountability of Malaysia’s blogging food community will be compromised.

Conclusion

Instagram continues to be at the heart of Malaysian food culture, affirming the cultural intermediaries’ role of food bloggers in the digital generation. Aside from promoting and marketing food trends, the Malaysian food blogging community contributes to the construction of narratives on national identity, heritage, and lifestyle (Leong-Salobir, 2019). Their work bridges traditional and contemporary cuisines while engaging local and global audiences. With more influence comes more responsibility to practice ethical and transparent content creation. Influencer culture, Abidin (2016) argues, is built strongly on trust and thus authenticity, fair representation, and disclosure in sponsored content is imperative. Moreover, food bloggers are increasingly affecting public disclosure over food, playing the role of mediators among consumers, business and cultural initiatives. In order to maintain long-term relevance and integrity, the Malaysian food blogger community needs to embrace conscious strategies that promote sustainability, diversity, and cultural preservation amidst the changing of culinary scene.

References

Abidin, C. (2016). “Aren’t These Just Young, Rich Women Doing Vain Things Online?”: Influencer Selfies as Subversive Frivolity. Social Media + Society, 2(2), 1–17.

Buckley, M. (2024, May 12). The story behind Basque burnt cheesecake. Travel. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/what-is-basque-burnt-cheesecake-where-to-eat-san-sebastian

Khalid, N. L., Jayasainan, S. Y., & Hassim, N. (2018). Social media influencers – shaping consumption culture among Malaysian youth. SHS Web of Conferences, 53, 02008. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20185302008

Leong-Salobir, C. (2011). Food Culture in Colonial Asia. Routledge. (Original work published 2025)