Qualitative analysis reveals a shift toward popular culinary aesthetics on TikTok in Naples, suggesting digital platforms bypass traditional bourgeois mediation in food culture.
In the prevailing stagnation of the platformization of consumer culture, in which the value of products, but also the ways of expressing subjective identities, is increasingly linked to the fluctuations of the functioning of digital platforms, on TikTok, we are witnessing a return of the importance of the local context. In the wake of the success of the representation of Naples on TikTok, a new popular representation of food aesthetics is emerging, as well as a new redefinition of food taste. The culinary traditions that have animated Neapolitan gastronomic culture are being challenged by new digital creators who propose bizarre recipes and redefine the untouchable recipes of Neapolitan cuisine. The digital trend of gourmand gastronomy offers, as I highlight in this study, the possibility of observing consumer culture from a popular culture point of view, without the mediation of the bourgeois point of view.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Roberto Graziano (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: