Social Media Food Influencers and Their Impact on Consumer Behaviour, Culinary Trends, and Food Tourism: A Narrative Review

In the current society, the food image, consumption and experience has changed significantly due to the growing use of social media. Social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok have helped to build a new food culture, in which food influencers have a significant influence on their followers' food ideas, preferences, and their decisions for tourism. This narrative review covers the emerging role of social media food influencers in shaping consumers' behaviour in both a digital context and in new trends and food tourism practices. A literature review of previous research on Influencer marketing, Digital food culture, Audience engagement, Visual storytelling and Tourism promotion through social media. The review reveals the influence of food influencers on consumer buying behaviour, eating habits, restaurant selections, and the consumption of food items by creating visually appealing and authentic content and establishing parasocial relationships. It also discusses the impact of social media on making culinary new trends, regional cuisines, and food places popular. The paper also addresses commercialisation, authenticity, digital algorithms and ethical concerns with influencer culture. The study is found that social media food influencers are gradually becoming significant cultural intermediaries, which play a significant role in the construction of consumer culture, electronic culinary culture and tourism experience in today's society.