From Kitchen to Digital Age: A Qualitative Analysis of Chefs' Engagement with Social Media

Abstract

The significance of social media is growing for both individuals and professional sectors nowadays. Professional chefs, alongside businesses, using social media for self-promotion and to engage broader audiences. This study aims to thoroughly investigate the social media use of professional chefs and to elucidate the factors driving the use of these platforms. In the study, semi-structured interviews have performed with 15 professional cooks, and the collected data have analysed thematically using MAXQDA software. The study has highlighted three primary themes: 'creativity and development,' 'marketing and customer interactions,' and 'career and industrial contribution.' It has concluded that social media provides benefits for chefs regarding marketing, interaction with customers, feedback acquisition, and professional growth. Nonetheless, the decline in motivation resulting from inconsequential and adverse feedback is one of the drawbacks. In future studies, it is recommended to conduct studies on chefs' sharing strategies on social media

Keywords

• Gastronomy
• social media
• kitchen chefs
• restaurant
• digital engagement

Mutfaktan Dijital Çağa: Şeflerin Sosyal Medya ile Etkileşiminin Nitel Bir Analizi

Abstract

Sosyal medya kullanımı, günümüzde hem bireyler hem de profesyonel sektörler için artan bir önem taşımaktadır. İşletmelerin yanı sıra profesyonel şefler de sosyal medyayı hem kendilerini tanıtmak hem de daha geniş kitlelere ulaşmak amacıyla kullanmaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı, profesyonel mutfak şeflerinin sosyal medya kullanımlarını derinlemesine incelemek ve sosyal medya kullanımı altında yatan motivasyonları ortaya çıkarmaktır. Araştırma kapsamında, 15 profesyonel şefle yarı yapılandırılmış mülakatlar gerçekleştirilmiş ve elde edilen veriler MAXQDA yazılımı kullanılarak tematik içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur. Araştırma sonucunda "yaratıcılık ve gelişim", "pazarlama ve müşteri ilişkileri" ile "kariyer ve endüstriyel katkı" olmak üzere üç ana tema belirlenmiştir. Sosyal medyanın şefler için pazarlama, müşteri ilişkileri, geri bildirim alma kolaylığı ve mesleki gelişim açısından avantajlar sunduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bununla birlikte paylaşılan içerik ile alakasız ve olumsuz geri bildirimlerin yaşattığı motivasyon kaybı da dezavantajlar arasındadır. İleriki çalışmalarda şeflerin sosyal medyada paylaşım stratejilerini içeren çalışmaların yapılması önerilmektedir

Keywords

• Gastronomi
• sosyal medya
• mutfak şefleri
• restoran
• dijital etkileşim

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