Procaffeinating: Mapping regional coffee fandom via social media
RIS ID
146180
Abstract
This chapter discusses the personal narrative with an interview to highlight the potential of fan labor in the success of regional food culture: in particular specialty coffee roasters in the Illawarra. The use of social media by foodies and coffee aficionados allows for the word of mouth spread, reviews, and websites that are essential to the success of small business, particularly those in regional areas. Interdisciplinary academic research on tourism that examines the role of food, social media, and fan tourism/labor offers a starting point from which to theorize the role of online food reviews, apps, and word of mouth in the reputation of small businesses. Signe Rousseau's monograph was one of the first to assess the growing role of social media in food culture, particularly focused on the professionalization of reviews from everyday people, by claiming "everyone is a critic".
Publication Details
Middlemost, R. "Procaffeinating: Mapping regional coffee fandom via social media." Eating Fandom: Intersections between fans and food culture. Ed.C. D. Reinhard, J. E. Largent & B. Chin. London: Routledge, 2020, 177-190.