The virtual obesogenic environment

The rise of social networking websites and computer games has made the Internet a popular destination for the young generation. However, this has not gone unnoticed by the fast food industry, which has also become active in social networking, hence extending its marketing strategies into cyberspace. This book observes the numerous marketing strategies employed within social networking sites by the fast food chain McDonald's, which has induced a virtual obesogenic environment for the adolescent population. McDonald's seems to have exploited adolescent social behaviour by encouraging peer-to-peer marketing as well as utilizing food based advergames to promote a plethora of unhealthy products whilst simultaneously inducing brand immersion among adolescents.