Legitimizing the unhealthy: A discourse analysis of fast-food companies’ legitimation strategies on social media
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2025-06-24
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en
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As fast-food companies face increasing criticism for their role in the global obesity crisis, understanding how they maintain legitimacy is of critical relevance. This study investigates how leading fast-food companies (McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King) use social media to legitimize obesity-related products. Using a discourse analysis, 131 posts across Facebook, X, and Instagram were analyzed with an abductive approach. A deductive analysis based on Ban (2016) and Glozer et al. (2019) revealed that frames and discursive legitimation strategies were largely absent. An inductive analysis identified four alternative strategies: collaborations, cultural resonance, playful language, and economic appeal. These strategies form a broader pattern of strategic avoidance, where brands deliberately evade health-discourse in favor of socially aligned messaging. Building on this, the study proposes the social alignment frame, a new frame through which companies legitimize their products by embedding them within culturally familiar, entertaining, and economically appealing contexts. This frame prioritizes pragmatic legitimacy and cognitive legitimacy, avoiding moral justifications. The findings extend discursive legitimacy theory and highlight the subtle ways brands use social media to shape public perception. These insights have important implications for public health communication and regulatory policy.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen