Snackfishing: a recipe for viral deception

In a world full of viral food trends, snackfishing is the new deception – turning fake food into viral gold with a side of absurdity.

If you’re new to internet slang, you might not even know what catfishing is. If that’s the case, then we’re here to help:

“The phenomenon of internet predators that fabricate online identities and entire social circles to trick people into emotional/romantic relationships (over a long period of time).”

Now, take that manipulative tendency and apply it to influencers who fake food concoctions or wisdom and you have snackfishing. It’s all an effort to get more followers.

Sometimes it’s cringe-inducing, with influencers clearly without any shame, and other times it’s catchy and well-thought-out.

The viral backstory

When browsing TikTok for such ridicule, which is not that difficult, I found four preposterous videos with millions of views.

First up is the “healthy Coke” movement: balsamic vinegar mixed with soda of any flavor. This is supposedly a ploy to get users to be healthy. But watching with a more cynical eye, we might ask ourselves – are they being ironic, or just imitating absurd imitators?

Fans of Tiktok may scoff at this analysis and are advised to take it with a grain of salt. But when health is on the line, and good balsamic vinegar is being wasted, it really is beyond the pale. It’s truly maniacal.

@zozoroe WOW IT REALLY DOES TASTE EXACTLY LIKE COKE😳😳😳 I’m shook!!!! #balsamicvinegar #healthycoke #healthycokechallenge ♬ original sound - The Zoe Roe Show

Next, there’s lettuce water. Watching it now on TikTok, I see that influencers claim it puts you to sleep. There is zero irony and it is reminiscent of my early childhood, when mixing random ingredients together in a cup was the height of silliness. The only tangible benefit here seems to be the cash that influencers pocket from clicks.

Then we have butterboards – a concept inspired by cheeseboards that some have actually adopted. However, as a fad, it screams shithousery. Still, it's the closest thing here to being entertaining and felt like something from The Tim and Eric Awesome Show.

Lastly, there’s lemon coffee. While it initially seemed like another bizarre TikTok concoction, it’s gained surprising traction, similar to orange espresso, and is actually quite nice. Is it too much to ask for something a bit more tasteful that actually reflects modern pop culture?

Meet Benji

In November 2023, a video went viral in which the influencer @UKSnackAttack managed to fool his followers into believing that Heinz had made a transparent version of its ketchup. With 1.2 million likes on that video so far, the Instagram crowd appeared more savvy in calling out the stunt as fake.

This could well be because Instagram avoids TikTok’s deranged absurdities that leave you wondering whether the influencer is stupid or if they’re somehow being post-ironic.

Benji’s journey into snackfishing started back in 2019 when he began hunting for imported Fanta flavors to share with friends. Later, he got into creating different spreads, like white chocolate Nutella, in an online series he dubbed “Spread Saturday.”

When companies like Nutella began contacting him to disclose that his concoctions weren’t real, the concept of snackfishing was born.

But as Wired revealed, there’s nothing remotely trollish about Benji. His work feels more like a food-themed Banksy than the ego-driven puppetry of TikTok’s health-faking influencers.

In his posts, he does add disclaimers that the products don’t exist, but they often get lost in the small print of the comments.

I asked him if he’d ever been surprised by any of the audience's reactions and he said:

“Oh absolutely. While most take the Snackfishes with a grain of salt, sometimes I do see frantic comments demanding I reveal where I purchased the product! Likewise it’s interesting to see how passionate people get.

I have seen full-on debates within my comments on whether or not a Snackfish should exist, or even tagging brands demanding they make it a reality. It’s amazing to see how creative and invested the audience becomes, it makes me feel they too are part of the Snackfish process.”

Benji has also been reprimanded by food and drink companies for giving real “snacksclusive” heads-ups about forthcoming product launches, obviously infringing on patents and image rights.

What stands out most, however, is how playful the rebellion of Benji’s snackfishing is compared to the dreary parade of TikTok sheep blindly chasing every vacuous, algorithm-fed trend.

Much like Warhol turned everyday objects into art, snackfishing elevates the mundane into a viral spectacle. It’s food, it’s fiction, and it’s art – blurring the lines between satire and reality.