Background to the Intention to Photo-Post Food on Instagram: Potential Implications for Digital Food Marketing and Promotion of Healthy Eating

Background/Objectives: The rise in food content on social media changed how people find, assess, and select places to eat. While Instagram is known as one of the most important media for digital food advertising, little attention has been paid to the psychological and experiential factors that lead people to take and share pictures of food in restaurants. This paper examines the reasons for the intention to share food photos in restaurants on Instagram using the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) and Uses and Gratifications Theory frameworks. Methods: Data for this study were collected using a cross-sectional quantitative design, and 243 Instagram users in Chile who had eaten in restaurants in the previous 6 months were surveyed. The model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling in SmartPLS 4, with aesthetic, functional, and symbolic design aspects as stimuli and self-expression, positive emotions, and satisfaction as organism states. Results: Of the eleven relationships examined, eight were supported. Gastronomic experience was the strongest factor influencing self-expression, clearly predicting both positive emotional arousal and satisfaction. Self-expression was the strongest direct predictor of the intention to post a picture, followed by satisfaction. Positive emotional arousal acted as a strong indirect predictor through satisfaction. The model explained 60.6% of the variance in the intention to post a picture. Conclusions: The research suggests that the intention to post food photos on Instagram is associated with the wish to express one’s self-identity and satisfaction with the food experience. Based on the findings, restaurant businesses can develop digital food marketing strategies centered on the dining experiences that customers want to share. Future research could examine whether these motives differ according to the nutritional characteristics of the food shared.