For my A1, I started looking at TikTok and implications for education. I began by downloading the app, but then didn’t open it for a few weeks as I wasn’t sure I was emotionally ready for the commitment. As a Foods teacher, my students are always coming to class talking about the latest food videos they’d seen online. I was always intrigued and realized that I wasn’t seeing the full picture on my “old people” social media (aka Facebook). This helped me to narrow my focus to the viral nature of food trends on TikTok.
“There’s a lo-fi, unpolished quality to TikTok’s food world”
(VICE, 2020)
I prepared this video to highlight my introduction to TikTok and it’s world of food. My son and I enjoyed preparing a few of the trendiest videos (and posting them to TikTok!). I feel that we really captured that “lo-fi” vibe! As this was designed with TikTok and mobile in mind, it is in portrait mode and best viewed on a mobile device!
Please respond in the comments below with any responses to the questions I ask in the video:
– What are the implications for the future if young cooking are following these videos as recipes?
– Will cooking from scratch become even less popular?
– Will we rely even more on packaged and fast food?
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References:
Edwards, L. (2020). How can TikTok be used in the classroom? Retrieved from: https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/how-can-tiktok-be-used-in-the-classroom.
Makalintal, B. (2020). TikTok is the food platform of the people. Retrieved from: https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7wb9q/tiktok-is-the-food-platform-of-the-people.
Ruiz, R. (2020). How teachers are using TikTok to instruct, engage, and connect during distance learning. Retrieved from: https://www.curriculumassociates.com/blog/how-teachers-use-tiktok.
Great video! I’m a foodie, and I think anything that encourages people (young or old) to buy real food, handle real food, prepare and eat and consider real food is a good thing. Just getting people to embrace their ownership of the means of production, food-wise, is a start these days, I think. Sure, the popular recipes will probably resemble fast food, probably have too much fat, salt and sugar to be healthy, but if a quirky recipe hack gets someone past the “I can’t cook/I CAN cook” barrier then there’s hope that healthier eating might follow.
As for the ASMR, it’s everywhere, isn’t it? It sometimes sounds like they ran their sizzling oil sound through AutoTune! But as they say, “we eat with our eyes first”, and I think when watching someone cook, we eat with our ears second.
Thanks Sean! I do agree that any food prep that kids/young adults do is awesome. There is definitely a difference in the definition of “cooking” today, compared to even 20 years ago.
Yes, ASMR is everywhere, but it must be enhanced with autotune! And I haven’t thought about eating with our ears, but then again today I told students while making crepes that they needed to hear the batter cooking as soon as it hits the pan, so I guess that’s a little ASMR as well! Maybe less weird in terms of cooking?
Hi Meg, well done with your foray into TikTok! I haven’t yet gone there myself, so it was really interesting to hear about your experience. I think you’ve found an important way to connect with your students, and to stay up to date with the way they are experiencing food, outside of Foods class. With regard to your questions, I’m of two minds: on one hand, it’s great that these videos show easy ways to prepare (sometimes) good meals, but on the other, as you pointed out, there is a lot of waste, and use of less-than-ideal food choices. I know that there are many people who move out on their own without having much idea how to prepare food, so at least this is a way they can get started. Optimistically, these small beginnings could turn into more involved cooking experiences for those who are keen to get creative. Realistically, I think that already we are seeing much more use of convenient, packaged foods, and this is likely to increase, but at least TikTok is exposing people to some variety. So I’m wondering, how has your TikTok experience changed the way you approach your planning as a Foods teacher?
Thanks Wendy! I totally agree that at least these people are preparing food at home. It’s a good start! I am trying to encourage my students to buck the trend of convenience foods when they can (and then they order Skip the Dishes in the middle of class… ugh!).
To answer your question, I find that we are using TikTok as inspiration for our recipes. I already give my students tons of choice and encourage them to use the recipe I give as a guide. If they can find something similar that is just a different shape, has different spices or just uses the same ingredients, I tell them to go for it! I have also been using it to test o the kitchen/food hacks that students come across. The latest was cracking an egg in a bowl, rubbing your fingers with garlic and then lifting the yolk with two finger (it didn’t work!). We have fun with it. And I definitely see that they appreciate the “lo-fi” vibe!
This discussion raises some important points. I love the idea of using the videos as inspiration for creating foods and as starting points to getting into the kitchen. My 12 year old daughter is always wanting to try things that she sees on YouTube and so often they seem to be less healthy choices. The positive I see is that it seems to be getting children off the couch. If they are inspired to create and not just consume then there has to be some good in it! Helping them learn to evaluate what they’re creating and building upon that is a valuable lesson and creative use of the mobile technology.