ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on findings from the empirical study 'Consumer Netizens' carried out at the University of Siegen, Germany, between October 2011 and August 2015. The study examined the shift towards lifestyle-related forms of political participation. The chapter highlights the role that food plays in the digitalization of political participation. It suggests that daily food consumption practices in the private sphere of everyday life are directly interwoven with (semi-)public social media practices that address political concerns as well as questions of self-identity. 'Food activism' becomes a strong symbol for other political issues in a society and a starting point for social movements which can be as disparate as the Slow Food Movement, Fair Trade or community-supported agriculture. The research project 'Consumer Netizens' studied the attitudes, interpretations, and practices of political consumers online and offline. The potential participants received detailed information about the research project and what would be asked of them, and about the data protection regulations applied.
