Perhaps a staple of the diets in many developed nations, my favorite dish is the traditional hamburger with fries that is typically found in most fast food chains in the Americas and Europe. Hamburgers are an extremely popular dish across many nations, and there are many sociological reasons that the dish is favored, in addition to the arguably almost addictive ingredients and chemical additives added in the most popular servings of this dish. Despite the many qualities of the current hamburger industry that warrant thinking that its popularity is merely due to the ingredients used in this dish, the reality is that a lot of social forces have contributed to the popularity of this dish across the world. Although the popularity of the hamburger dish across the world has created numerous variants of the dish, such as a chicken or turkey burger, one of the ingredients traditionally found in hamburgers is a beef patty. One of the most common socio-cultural factors that have influenced me (as well as a lot of other consumers) into being attracted to hamburgers is the extremely large amount of advertising and media pertaining to hamburgers that came with the proliferation of hugely popular fast food corporations. Often, during my childhood, when I would watch television, there would almost always be a significant amount of commercials pertaining to hamburger fast food restaurants, such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s.
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It is impossible to understate the impact that such advertising may have had in shaping my food preferences in the long run. A huge political issue in many countries suffering from obesity epidemics, such as the United States and Canada, has been over whether advertising for calorie dense and low nutrient food should be curbed. At a societal level, advertising has been shown to significantly increase the gross amount of food consumed. A study conducted in 2009 examined what the effects of food advertising were on the consumption of the food that was being advertised. The study found that children who were exposed to food advertising in television programs consumed a significantly higher amount of snacks than did those who were not exposed to it (Harris). There have also been numerous studies that documented the effects of the advertising of fast food restaurants specifically, which typically serve some form of hamburger. It is important to note that advertising not only affects what type of foods one wants to eat, but also influence taste preferences of children from an early age. A study showed that children that were subjected to brand advertising for fast foods showed that children found foods that were branded with advertised brands to be in general tastier than those that are not, despite the food being identical (Robinson). The abovementioned studies show just how big of an influence the popular media can be in influencing an individual’s food preferences and eating behavior. Being someone who regularly eats at fast food restaurants that offer hamburgers, I believe that the high amount of television that I watched during my childhood was probably a significant influence in shaping my food preferences in the long run. Advertisements back then as well as today use a significant amount of advertising to shape the preferences of consumers, not just regarding food but many consumer products and services. The mass media makes up a significant portion of the institutions that govern social behaviors not just in regards to consumer preferences, but also other social behaviors, such as politics, group forming and association, and mating behaviors. It is no wonder that there is such a significant debate today by political institutions over the regulation of advertising for junk foods and other harmful substances, such as alcohol and tobacco. Nevertheless, it is important to look at the larger historical and sociological processes that have influenced my taste profile and the prevalence of one of my favorite ingredients, beef. Perhaps the most significant factor that affects the availability of beef in today’s society is the significant impact that industrialization has had on access to particular food sources. Looking historically at the range of human social behaviors, it is by and large evident that humans are omnivores, nevertheless, some societies consume meat at a much larger scale than others. The United States and Canada are at the apex of
It is impossible to understate the impact that such advertising may have had in shaping my food preferences in the long run. A huge political issue in many countries suffering from obesity epidemics, such as the United States and Canada, has been over whether advertising for calorie dense and low nutrient food should be curbed. At a societal level, advertising has been shown to significantly increase the gross amount of food consumed. A study conducted in 2009 examined what the effects of food advertising were on the consumption of the food that was being advertised. The study found that children who were exposed to food advertising in television programs consumed a significantly higher amount of snacks than did those who were not exposed to it (Harris). There have also been numerous studies that documented the effects of the advertising of fast food restaurants specifically, which typically serve some form of hamburger. It is important to note that advertising not only affects what type of foods one wants to eat, but also influence taste preferences of children from an early age. A study showed that children that were subjected to brand advertising for fast foods showed that children found foods that were branded with advertised brands to be in general tastier than those that are not, despite the food being identical (Robinson). The abovementioned studies show just how big of an influence the popular media can be in influencing an individual’s food preferences and eating behavior. Being someone who regularly eats at fast food restaurants that offer hamburgers, I believe that the high amount of television that I watched during my childhood was probably a significant influence in shaping my food preferences in the long run. Advertisements back then as well as today use a significant amount of advertising to shape the preferences of consumers, not just regarding food but many consumer products and services. The mass media makes up a significant portion of the institutions that govern social behaviors not just in regards to consumer preferences, but also other social behaviors, such as politics, group forming and association, and mating behaviors. It is no wonder that there is such a significant debate today by political institutions over the regulation of advertising for junk foods and other harmful substances, such as alcohol and tobacco. Nevertheless, it is important to look at the larger historical and sociological processes that have influenced my taste profile and the prevalence of one of my favorite ingredients, beef. Perhaps the most significant factor that affects the availability of beef in today’s society is the significant impact that industrialization has had on access to particular food sources. Looking historically at the range of human social behaviors, it is by and large evident that humans are omnivores, nevertheless, some societies consume meat at a much larger scale than others. The United States and Canada are at the apex of