Thank you for such a well-researched, in depth piece of journalism amongst a sea of opinion pieces and reheated hot takes! Thinking about some of these influencer reviews of restaurants, I’m reminded of a quote from the Simpsons when Homer is briefly a food critic for the local paper and one of the other reviewers is angry with him “Everything is a rave! 9 Thumbs up? What the hell is that??”
The blogger vs influencer distinction is key here. One pays for the meal and writes because they have something to say. The other sells access to an audience. Both fine, but conflating them is how trust gets eroded for everyone writing about food.
Thank you for such a well-researched, in depth piece of journalism amongst a sea of opinion pieces and reheated hot takes! Thinking about some of these influencer reviews of restaurants, I’m reminded of a quote from the Simpsons when Homer is briefly a food critic for the local paper and one of the other reviewers is angry with him “Everything is a rave! 9 Thumbs up? What the hell is that??”
Hahaha yes it is a bit like that!
The blogger vs influencer distinction is key here. One pays for the meal and writes because they have something to say. The other sells access to an audience. Both fine, but conflating them is how trust gets eroded for everyone writing about food.
Well thomfoodery started strong... but then spectacularly failed the vibe check at the end!