#tableforone: exploring representations of dining out alone on Instagram

ABSTRACT

In contemporary western society connections with others have become more fluid. This fluidity, in turn, impacts how people think about, understand, and engage in leisure. For instance, more people are choosing to partake in leisure practices that have traditionally been done in the company of others, alone. Yet people who choose to engage in solo leisure may face stigmatization for doing so. With these ideas in mind, the purpose of this paper is to examine representations of dining out alone on Instagram associated with #tableforone. Our findings illustrate how people use #tableforone to represent the importance of valuing alone time and treating oneself. Our findings also demonstrate the ways #tableforone can be used to confront the stigma tied to engaging in public leisure practices alone.

KEYWORDS:

• Solo leisure
• dining alone
• social media research
• Instagram
• #tableforone

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Janet K. L. McKeown is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Her research examines the intersections between gender, leisure, and intimate and personal relationships.

Maggie C. Miller is a Lecturer in the School of Management at Swansea University, and she holds a PhD in Recreation and Leisure Studies. Much of her work concentrates on critical explorations of the role of tourism and leisure in the development of communities. In particular, she takes up research to understand and enhance social justice and equity in tourism and leisure contexts.