Food vlogging: More than meets the eye

Whether it is a birthday party celebration, hanging out with friends, or simply spending alone time at your favourite café, eating out has become an indispensable part of our everyday life. With the advent of eating out combined with the surge in users of social media, we entered the era of food vlogging. 

Some of us find the whole idea cringeworthy, whereas others find it cool. Whatever it be, there is more to food vlogging than what we see in videos. These include stories of struggles, challenges, and success interluded with misconceptions and prejudice. Digging deep, we fetched the intricacies of the food vlogging scene we are so fascinated with.

Community not competition

The food vlogging industry essentially consists of people who simply love to dine out, so much that most food vloggers started off with the purpose of sharing their experience with the larger audience, to help them decide what to try and what to avoid, saving a bulk of their time, and not to mention, disappointments.

Unlike most other industries, it is one that favours community over competition, where members learn, develop, and thrive together, all while pursuing their passion. It is a place for collaboration and helping others grow, while also letting people explore new food and places via content they can relate to.

It is also a community of foodies where age is just a number. In Bangladesh, we have food vloggers from a diverse range of age groups. While Fahrin Zannat Faiza and Iftekhar Rafsan fall in the younger cohort, Adnan Faruque and Mahathir Muhammad Fahim Khan are a generation apart, but everyone is equally welcome.     

Passion or profession?

Food vloggers basically comprise a group of passionate people who are enthused about food. However, this passion comes with the cost of time and money. Food vlogging, in most cases, is not impromptu. It is a lengthy process from planning to posting, which involves brainstorming content, deciding upon a place, recording, and editing. Despite being a hobby, this takes up a lion's share of time.

While some may view it as a profession, it is still considered as a non-conventional path in our society that lacks respect and acceptance. People who decide to build their careers around content creation are also viewed as mavericks. On a brighter note, this mindset seems to be on its way to alteration with our and the forthcoming generations, as we embrace newer methods of living and earning. 

"Although content creation is not accepted as a profession yet, it opens up networking opportunities, enhances presentation skills, and is a way for people to express themselves. At least now, our former generations are open to listen, and that's a start," shared Salman Sadi, Co-creator at Khudalagse.             

Overcoming the odds

We see in videos what presenters choose to show us, but there are a lot of complicacies involved on the other end. Even the best of content creators may in fact be camera shy, anxious, and uneasy. It takes a lot of confidence and courage to face the camera and deliver to a large crowd, even for professionals.

Nusrat Islam, Content Creator at Zoltan BD, and also a news presenter by profession, agrees. "Although I am very much used to speaking in front of the camera, when I started food vlogging I had to overcome the stiffness that naturally crept in. It usually took a few retakes to get it right."

Apart from personal conflicts, there is a horde of people who are ready to throw in disgraceful comments leading to cyberbullying, which inevitably all food vloggers have experienced. Receiving rude remarks as opposed to constructive criticism from the very audience they cater to can be extremely hurtful, and may even lead to depression. 

"Like most other channels, ours is also at times inundated with negative comments. But we realised one group will always hate no matter what and the other will shower you with love. We chose to prioritise the latter and continue doing what we do," expressed Rasif Shafique and Ridima Khan, Content Creators at Petuk Couple.   

Masked with misconceptions

There are certain misconceptions surrounding food vlogging, and the most prominent one is definitely that of paid reviews. While it is of no doubt that paid review is a part of the vlogging scene, not everyone is part of this unscrupulous practice. However, inadvertently, the onus befell upon everyone that belongs to this community of foodies.

There are fundamentally three ways to make money by food vlogging – via social media ads through monetisation (the contribution of which is insignificant), sponsorship, and paid collaboration. While the first two are rightful means of earning as a reward for effort, the latter is considered unethical, which diminishes the authenticity of food vloggers in general, contaminating an entire industry.

Another fallacy present in the minds of people regarding food vloggers is the idea that their goal is to attain and enjoy fame. However, to them, this often comes as a struggle rather than achievement as it hampers the credibility of their reviews.

"After garnering a certain number of followers, I started receiving special treatment from restaurants, which I honestly don't enjoy. I rather want to encounter the raw experience that any ordinary customer would receive, and share my unfiltered stories. Afterall, we are not here to critique, but share experiences only," said Fahrin Zannat Faiza, Content Creator at Khudalagse.         

The unseen challenges

Although creating a presence on social media seems easy with low barriers to entry, it is difficult to make a mark. Amongst hundreds of content creators available today, there are only a few who created an impact, and this did not come without challenges. Despite it all, it is also a place where professionals are easily replaceable. Bearing this in mind, it is necessary to be consistent, get better with time, and adjust with the shift in trajectories.

Due to its unconventionality, starting out with content creation and food vlogging does not come with a set of guidelines, and it is upon the individual to figure things out. "Initially when I started, I had zero technical knowledge and had to learn about filming and editing from scratch. It is a steep learning curve but it's well worth it!" said Iftekhar Rafsan, Content Creator at Rafsan TheChotobhai.   

Since its inception, over the years, food vlogging has come a long way. While in the past it was mocked at rather than being valued, people are slowly realising its significance. It is not just another fad in the era of digital evolution, but food vlogging is here to stay, and there is much more to it than meets the eye.

Photo: Khudalagse, Petuk Couple, Rafsan The ChotoBhai, Zoltan BD