Key Points

The study explored how the digitisation of food influences consumer behaviour while simultaneously changing social dynamics such as class, caste, and labour.

The findings, published in the prestigious Sociological Bulletin (SAGE Publications) journal, showed that digital food practices and cultures have become a habitual part of people’s lives, especially among the urban Indian middle-class youth.

Digital technologies such as food ordering applications, and online reviews on social media platforms have been gradually integrated into everyday culinary habits.

Food economies are becoming platform-dependent. Platforms providing services such as search, social media, and content aggregation are becoming digital gatekeepers of access to food-related content, revealed the research led by Dr Rituparna Patgiri, Assistant Professor, from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Guwahati.

“Food has been viewed as a product that moves through five stages -- production, distribution, preparation, consumption, and disposal. In this research, I argue that one must now add a sixth stage -- digitalisation,” Patgiri told IANS.

While earlier research has examined how globalisation has impacted food practices in India, the new study significantly reveals how digital technologies are reshaping food practices in ways that reinforce existing caste, class, and gender hierarchies.

It shows that digital food culture practices such as food blogging, online review, and aesthetic presentation, are largely confined to upper- and middle-class, and urban groups, while small businesses and lower socio-economic communities are often excluded, Patgiri told IANS.

The study highlights the need for inclusive digital policies that support marginalised food producers, regulate platform-driven practices, and promote equitable visibility. It also underscores the importance of using digital platforms for public health messaging and the preservation of diverse culinary traditions.

It also urges policymakers to address the socio-economic implications of digitalisation in food systems through targeted support, regulation, and cultural inclusion.

- IANS