Video Transcript:
This research project discusses food instagram accounts owned specifically by runners. In this project I sought to answer if these accounts post for fun or for a greater purpose. If there is a greater purpose, what is it, and is this purpose being fulfilled?
I have conducted many forms of research on this topic, from simply observing posts and comments on accounts big or small, to conducting surveys for whoever was willing to and finding supporting research already conducted online.
From this research I was able to find that the majority of these bigger, more popular accounts had goals of aiding other athletes like themselves to get the best nutrition possible and perform at the highest level. They used knowledge from their own experiences with poor nutrition and learned how to properly fuel their body and are now passing this information on to others through their instagram page. They often get messages and comments asking them for advice showing that people are genuinely changing their dietary habits because of these influencers. Studies show that celebrity athletes have a huge impact on what younger kinds and athletes choose to eat, aiming to be like these athletes since they are both fit and popular. Even though these aren’t your top celebrity athletes, within their communities they are certainly seen in similar aspects and have great effects on their followers.
These users are fueling the next generation of runners to be able to compete and perform at higher and higher levels, fueling the future of next great runners, in a country that dominates the track and field world. This information is available to everyone, not just runners, and provides good, healthy recipes anyone can follow. Through this research we can see that these people are providing an amazing community service and giving quality education to student-athletes in ways many would never have thought possible.
The Digital Ethnography Project 