The social network and people we trust
Social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, have enabled the rapid spread of both fact and fiction throughout the global village. Dr Áine McConnon tells Danielle Barron (BSc 2005), how a new European Commission-funded project aims to look at how food issues are communicated via these hugely popular online forums.
Nine EU member states are taking part in the FoodRisC consortium, which is comprised of experts in key fields relevant to food risk and benefit communication from research institutes, consumer organisations, and SMEs.
The EU consortium is coordinated by Professor Patrick Wall of the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science and Dr Áine McConnon is the project manager.
Having studied nutrition within the context of public health, Dr McConnon, who also works with the UCD Institute of Food and Health, is well-placed to examine the impact that both traditional and social media can have on the public’s perception of foods that are perceived as beneficial and risky. “We are looking at the communication of food risks and benefits across Europe, with the aim of developing tools to enable improved communication around these issues,” explains Dr McConnon.
Recent food scares have had a significant, if not enormous, impact on public health, as well as eroding consumer confidence and causing huge economic losses.
“To start with, we are looking at how people perceive food risk and benefit because traditionally the focus has been on food risk as opposed to benefit, with food scares such as the BSE crisis, and more recently the dioxin crisis in Ireland and Belgium,” she explains.
“The communication around the BSE crisis led to a lot of confusion,” she says. As a direct result, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was established, whose remit is to communicate information about food risk to the consumer.
More recently, however, the focus has shifted towards looking at the dynamic between risks and benefits.
“Examples of this could be in relation to a new technology such as genetic modification or nanotechnology, but also traditional foods such as oily fish, where the consumer is encouraged to increase their intake of oily fish because of the health benefits of omega-3, but on the other hand they are also advised not to eat too much because it can contain high levels of mercury.”
“These situations, where there are risks and benefits involved in the consumption of the food, are what we are examining,” says Dr McConnon.
These may not always necessarily constitute health risks and benefits, she explains. “It may instead relate to an ethical or environmental issue.”
The starting point for the project is therefore examining the various risk/benefit relationships that exist, and how the consumer perceives them. From there, the project will look at how consumers are dealing with the information they are provided.
“We are also looking at their information-seeking behaviours, so where they go to look for information and what type of information are they looking for,” says Dr McConnon.
The researchers are also investigating how people then deliberate on the information they come across.
“We are using web software, where we will look at the types of questions people have, so while they are reading the information they will be asked to report what kinds of questions pop into their heads,” says Dr McConnon, adding that sometimes the information provided may raise more questions than it actually answers.
The project covers new media, including Twitter and Facebook, as well as traditional media. The increasing availability of information is a major issue.
“Until relatively recently information was only available in the mainstream press, where it came from sources such as journalists and scientists, whereas now it’s more common for consumers to have a role in generating the information themselves, so we need to look at the influence this change may be having on people’s views and behaviours in relation to accessing information about food risks and benefits.”
Research has shown that consumers are more likely to trust people within their social circle, adds Dr McConnon.
“Consumers are more likely to trust people that they know, or feel they know, rather than people in an official position, such as the Government or politicians, who they may often consider to be biased.”
According to Dr McConnon, the use of social media and media in general differs widely throughout Europe.
“We are obtaining a picture of what it’s like across different European countries like Italy, Belgium, France and Spain, as there are very different habits and cultural differences.”
“The use of social media in Ireland is very high, and relative to other parts of Europe we are very engaged in social media.”
The potential for new media and online media in this domain, in the form of blogs and message boards, is massive, admits the public health nutritionist. Yet this hasn’t been explored to date in relation to food and communicating its risks and benefits.
“More and more Government bodies and stakeholders are engaging with social media, admittedly, but mightn’t necessarily know the impact that it can have or the best way to go about it.”