Once upon a time, before the advent of Facebook and Instagram, when we cooked, we cooked purely for ourselves. Although some people would put a bit of extra effort in when it came to impressing their friends at a dinner party, on the whole, our brunches, lunches and dinners weren’t created with an audience in mind.

However, social media has changed all that for good. These days, cooks are just as likely to be found posting about their creations online as they are whipping up culinary delights in the kitchen. As a result, our food is getting more exotic, more ambitious and a lot more photogenic.

Social Media and Food Presentation

One of the biggest ways in which social media has changed the way we cook is presentation. Most of us now put a lot more thought into how we’re going to plate our chicken kievs, our roast potatoes or our perfectly poached eggs. More often than not, proud cooks will now snap a picture of their edible creation, presenting it to the internet before they even put it on the table. As the look of a plate of food contributes to how much we enjoy it, this has helped to boost the quality of our culinary creations significantly.

Getting Adventurous

The internet is a fantastic place to get creative inspiration. If you’re looking for menu ideas for a family meal, a dinner party or another special occasion, social media is the perfect place to start. You can find loads of recipe ideas on Instagram and on Pinterest. As these recipes often use unusual ingredients and interesting techniques, social media gives you the chance to try out some weird and wonderful combinations on your guests.

Awareness

Before social media, most of us wouldn’t have really had any idea what our friends and family ate for breakfast lunch and dinner. With people now posting food photos left right and centre, those days are long gone. Many of us are now well aware of the daily diets of our nearest and dearest. This can help to boost awareness of nutrition as seeing someone’s vegetable-filled plate – or carb-loaded meal – can make us reassess our own choices.

What’s more, if you have a friend who’s recently turned vegan or vegetarian, seeing their regular posts of delicious-looking meals may well convince you that trying a plant-based diet wouldn’t be too hard.