You Had Me At Tacos: How Millenials Redefine Food and Drink in the Digital Age
Instagram is undoubtedly the one to thank for the food pic phenomenon. Everyone can be a food blogger now, and I admit that even I’m guilty of having taken a few food pics for the Gram in my life. But the cultural shift that Instagram has created runs so much deeper. Without it, there would probably be no Antique Taco. When I first visited the family-owned Wicker Park taqueria, I didn’t even think twice about ordering the fried chicken burrito and I don’t think I ever will. It was seriously one of the best burritos I’ve ever had. It was an interesting American take on Mexican food, and I’m pretty sure the sauce they used in the burrito was barbeque sauce. But again, it was delicious. Looking at the menu above the counter, things seemed a tad overpriced for my liking. I also couldn’t fathom the small, felt pennants that said “TACOS” which sell for $15. I asked myself who would buy such a silly item, but it was pretty obvious at the same time. The two girls beside me in identical jean jackets and black leggings taking pictures of their identical dishes, let’s start with them.“Everything about the restaurant feels like a living manifestation of some adorable Pinterest account, from the Mason jars that serve as water glasses to the colorful plateware,” writes Nick Kindelperger of the Chicago Tribune. The content that Instagram and Pinterest have given rise to go hand in hand. Think nature, glamour shots, and food. The stereotypical user of these platforms instantly makes her way into my mind as I write this; She’s in her 20s, has maroon colored lipstick on to match the autumn landscape, dresses in boutique garments and sips coffee from a trendy local coffee shop—or honestly just Starbucks. This isn’t really an over exaggerated image either. Pinterest users are 81% female, the majority of active users are under 40, millennials use it as much as Instagram, and half of Pinterest users make $50k or more a year.
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The interior of a Chipotle restaurant |
Social media has
helped transform everyday foods into much, much more. Let’s take coffee as
another example. It’s probably the best example. Americans have been drinking
coffee for generations. It fuels the workdays of blue collar and white collar
folks alike, and it’s always been sort of a staple in the American daily
routine. Originating in Buffalo at the dawn of the 20th century, the coffee break allowed workers to step back from their
drudgery for 10 minutes and enjoy a hot cup of joe. Fast forward 50 years, and
the coffee break is a ubiquitous part of American work life, much to the credit of
an ad campaign by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau. It would then pop up as a lyric in the Dionne
Warwick (and more notably Aretha Franklin) hit “I Say A Little Prayer,” and by
that time coffee culture in America was well-established.
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A 1952 print ad by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau featuring the term "coffee break" |
Fast forward another 30 years; enter Starbucks. While the raw identity of Starbucks is more of an abstract concept, there is also some logic to its massive cultural impact in the 90s, and that lies in the sheer quality of its coffee. The Seattle-based chain is the poster boy for the second wave coffee movement, which put an emphasis on the coffee beans as well as unique roasting styles. It helped popularize Italian words like espresso and latte, and birthed ridiculous ones like the Frappuccino. In comparison, the first wave of coffee was all about the sheer mass production of coffee itself. Coffee was primarily seen as an energy delivery system. Its pop cultural impact was minimal. Starbucks continues to serve as the gold standard for mass produced, yet quality coffee. Its brand carries with it immense power that trickles down into all of its products—even its water. I can’t tell you how many orders I’ve seen that include both a coffee drink and a large siren-stamped cup of their precious H2O. While it seems like a classic example of placebo effect, there could actually be more to it. As popular YouTube food and drink reviewer TheReportOfTheWeek notes, “The flavor of the Starbucks water is just far superior to a lot of the tap water, and even a lot of the bottled water, that I’ve had in my water drinking career.”
Even when Starbucks
started to really take off in the mid-late 90s, it was still just a successful
coffee company. Now, it’s not only more successful than ever, it’s one of the
most powerful currencies in the cultural marketplace. The smiling siren’s head
is as ubiquitous as Ben Franklin’s on the hundred-dollar bill. Seeing as how
the franchise came of age alongside those in the millennial generation, it only
makes sense that it be engrained in their collective identity. A latte from
Starbucks is the perfect accessory for an impromptu Instagram photo-op. The
company now crafts products with this principle in mind, whipping up whimsical
drinks like the Unicorn Frappuccino and the Zombie Frappuccino. These drinks
don’t even technically have any coffee in them, but does it really matter? No,
because what they sacrifice in authentic taste, they make up for in likes and
shares.
The Unicorn Frappuccino was a featured item in Time Magazine's year end issue |
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Coffee in the second (and third) wave has solidified itself in the public consciousness as a staple of the chic aesthetic. And on the other hand, this aesthetic borrows heavily from coffee culture itself; think small, posh coffee houses (a defining symbol of the second wave coffee movement) with decorative throw pillows and small light fixtures about. Thus, a sort of symbiotic relationship is formed. Mawkish coffee-themed catchphrases now adorn thousands of garments and accessories. They’re commonly formatted in whimsical, curling fonts or capitalized, bolded ones reminiscent of Beyoncé’s signature typeface. A Beyoncé reference here should be seen as no coincidence, as she has become one of the most prominent female figures in the world of popular culture. With all this taken into account, it’s clear that coffee culture has become very much female-oriented, more specifically millennial females. Starbucks realizes this, and crafts its social media presence with the aforementioned demographic at the front of its mind. One only needs to take a quick scroll through their official Instagram account to observe this.
In 2018 coffee is
much more than a drink, it’s a mantra and a lifestyle. And while one brand
continues to corner the coffeehouse market, it has subsequently paved the way
for a whole new marketplace to form. This marketplace is one of ideas, images, and
influence. And it certainly doesn’t stop at coffee either. “Coffee” is easily
interchangeable with “tacos,” “wine,” “chocolate,” or "pizza" on any given screen-printed crewneck. It’s up for debate
whether or not coffee actually sparked the chic food marketing revolution.
Perhaps it was simply a sign of the times. With wine for example, a significant consumer demographic shift occurred in the mid-90s; the typical American wine
drinker began to fit a younger, more feminine profile as opposed to being an
older individual with gender not acting as a significant factor.
These sorts of
demographic shifts inevitably usher in other consumer trends (and often
vice versa). One that has become increasingly popular in the wine industry is
the consumption of rosé, a pinkish variety of wine that is separate from white and red.It has become particularly popular amongst younger consumers, and 55% percentof its total consumers are women.
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Humor, however, is as important a factor as ever when it
comes to branding marketing. In the
digital space, this can largely be credited to the rise of memes. It’s
especially true in the food, drink, and restaurant business. Companies like
Wendy’s have become notorious for clapping back at criticism in witty and memetic fashion
on their Twitter. But that’s beside the
point. Certain foods seem to have taken on specific emotional connotations. The
most notable example is pizza. Pizza came to the
states at the turn of the 20th century and quickly took on a
distinctly American identity. During the second half of the century it became
part of the booming fast food industry with chains like Pizza Hut, Little
Caesar’s, and Domino’s (all founded within a two-year period from 1958-1960)
Today pizza is as
popular as it ever was, and while it too has its reputation emblazoned on
apparel and accessories, there’s something more to it. Apparently it goes great
with worshipping Satan, according to goth/metal apparel brand Blackcraft. Perhaps this can be credited to pizza’s gritty punk
rock appeal. It pairs well with cheap beer, old dive bars, and bowling alleys.
Parody YouTuber Jarod Alonge has repeatedly made a joke out of its grail status
in the pop punk community, including in his song “Pop Punk Pizza Party.” Electro-funk duo KNOWER made it clear that they “do
it just for the pizza” in their aptly titled “Pizza.” Is
pizza just the meal of choice for the musically inclined? I’m going to say no.
But what it has always brought to the table other than its deliciousness is the
aspect of comedy. Whether it’s absurdist comedian Eric Andre attempting to deliver a “pizza ball” to a karate dojo, or the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles enjoying some New York slices, comedy-laden portrayals of
pizza in popular culture have been commonplace for at least a few decades. The
Fat Jew’s memoir is also titled Money,
Pizza, Respect. Pizza seems to be the go-to food for this generation. It’s
as American as burgers, fries, and hot dogs, even though it’s not originally
from America. Those foods were symbolic of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Rock and roll
radio, drive in theaters, and classic muscle cars all helped form the zeitgeist
of those decades. 50 years ago, a typical date may have consisted of all the
above. Today a plethora of music and movies are available at your fingertips
via streaming services, all while you wait for the pizza you ordered online to
arrive via the delivery boy driving a Toyota Prius. A date today may very well
consist of ordering a pizza along with some “Netflix and chill.” As was true
with the fast food conventions of old, the experience of eating pizza today is
one of comfort and convenience. The difference is that the internet facilitates
that comfort, convenience, and ultimately the culture around it.
It used to be that food was merely sustenance.
Then it became a product. Now, it’s more than the sum of those things. Food has
become intertwined with concepts, actions, and emotions. The businesses and
brands built around the foods we love strengthen those ideas. Food is then
consumed both physically and mentally, satisfying our literal hunger, but also
our hunger for something more. In a digital age where everything moves
at a million miles an hour, we yearn to pick and choose the best ideas from the
cultural whirlwind around us. These ideas aren’t necessarily ones to merely be pondered either. No, these ideas are to be seen and felt—on graphic tees, on signs, on
TV, and on Twitter. In the digital age, nothing is one dimensional anymore. Foods are no longer simply sustenance, they're lifestyles. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoj4p9ZTIHuJp2jaGbD0qSNwpkDg_yWWPVPcHJJ5pgLnKzxgYcx1mRNNeWbarAkxGNDiAfqMxBal-cPE2l3n0m1p94bhD_8eLAvl555fiYlSTr4Ljg13zBvV4_wGEokiCo0W9P1zQ3Na_f/s200/hailsataneatpizza_womenstee_mock_5e565dcf-bb4d-4239-ba76-0bb0f335d93a.jpg)
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