Andes Wines’ sweets and pastry writer Suzanne Taylor writes about how social media has transformed our relationship with food, connecting us at a whole different level with our appetite and foodies alike at the cyber-table.

I can remember when I was working in the Canadian Rockies in the early 90’s and I was told that I would have to take some computer training. At the time, I thought “Why? I have cheesecakes to bake.”

Ok – so I was just a little naïve back then; I was trying to learn my craft and understand the science behind why my eggs curdle rather than think about how to use a PC. Obviously, my crystal ball wasn’t working or I would have seen the explosion of what has become a behemoth food industry with an online audience to match.

Fast forward to 2012 and here we are in a world obsessed with food and drink. I have so much choice in where to get my information with just a click of a mouse. But perhaps technology is playing a bigger role in the guise of Facebook, Twitter, and the countless number of food blogs and apps that are popping up all time.

Fan pages from Facebook and Twitter feeds are connecting groups of people that may live at opposite ends of the earth or from their own backyards. The current wave of “food trucks” connects with its followers by sending out their GPS via Twitter. New web apps are being developed to cater to every whim in the food galaxy.

Most of the early food bloggers started out by just posing a question online or they just wrote what they loved to talk about in the world of food. “Chowhound”, for example, wanted to know about the best place to eat on the way to a particular destination. Gradually, locals would weigh in on their favourite places. That was culinary tourism in its infancy.

In an industry where a new top chef is treated like a headlining celebrity and food critics seem unapproachable, food blogging has become an area where the average person has the chance to have their say about a new restaurant or current food trend.

Some people feel slightly intimidated asking questions to chefs because it may seem as if they’ve been put on a pedestal. But each time the food bloggers write, a new connection develops between themselves and their readers. Because they tend to write as if they are talking to a friend, their readers start to connect with them on a different level. People are able to respond in a more personal and informal manner.

While reading one of such blogs, it occurred to me why a) there are so many and b) why people read them. We lead such sedentary lifestyles these days compared to say even 50 years ago. Technology has taken off to heights not imagined even 15 years ago. We are supposed to be connected and plugged in more than ever before, but perhaps there is something missing.

As much as we need technology, we need something more and that’s a human connection. Reading blogs allows us to connect with the author and vice versa. I can’t think of any other industry that has had such an impact on every day life. In a world that is turning faster all the time, what it boils down to is getting back to what connects us all- the food.