The Influence of Social Media on Food Choices: A Bibliometric Approach

Introduction

Increasing usage of social media, which is one of the most important realities of today, is one of the most discussed topics. Social media is far from just being a fad and becoming mainstream (Quesenberry, 2019). Internet and Web 2.0 technologies in today's society have triggered the growth of social media platforms and significantly altered the environment in which customers interact (Nash, 2019). Due to the convenience and opportunities it provides to both businesses and consumers, the use of social media by both companies and consumers and the number of users are increasing rapidly. The numbers show that social media has experienced an astounding growth in use; as of January 2023, the number of worldwide internet users was 5.16 billion, which is 64.4 percent of the global population. In addition, there were 4.76 billion social media users in the world, which is 59.4 percent of the world's population. On the other hand, Facebook is still the market leader of all social media platforms. Four of the biggest social media platforms, namely Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram belonging to Meta Platform (Statista, 2023).

Today social media affects practically every aspect of the human experience. The fact that social media makes people able to share ideas, personal traits, and daily activities with social networks has inevitably altered how people perceive themselves and their social worlds (Bayer et al, 2020). Social media is defined as an internet-based channel that helps users to communicate with each other as well as present themselves. This interaction could be real-time and also not synchronous (Carr & Hayes, 2015). Social media has inevitably become the reality of today as a phenomenon that affects both our daily lives and our social relations. Social media tools, which have an impact on every aspect of life, are also used by brand managers as effective marketing tools. Social media, which is a very useful way for the message they want to convey to reach the target audience, is also preferred in terms of fast feedback and measurability.

Social media has brought three critical changes to the markets. First, social media facilitates the connection between businesses and customers in ways that weren't possible before. Second, social media have changed how businesses and customers communicate with and affect one another. Third, companies are increasingly becoming better at managing customer interactions and improving corporate decision-making because of social media data (Li et al., 2021). Since brands have a high interest in social media, social media has also become a channel for commercial activity. Brands are striving to be influential on social media platforms and strengthen their relationships with their consumers by generating high engagement (Kırcova et al., 2018). Everyday, more and more companies are recognizing the value of social media as a strategic tool for user engagement, brand and product promotion, and relationship building (Shiau et al.,2018). When a company wants to increase media coverage of the brand or affect the consumers in their decisions, social media marketing is highly relevant (Tuten, 2021). Companies use a variety of social media sites, including Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and others, for social media marketing. Social media platform selection is chosen by considering marketing strategy and target audiences (Dwivedi et al.,2021). Food brands also benefit from users' social networks and increase the reach and personal relevance of their marketing messages by utilizing the interactive and social aspects of social media to market products (Freeman et al., 2014).