Deciphering a Meal through Open Source Standards: Soylent and the Rise of Diet Hackers
A life without food a leitmotiv of science fiction dystopias is becoming a voluntary choice for thousands of people consuming the powdered food replacement soylent. The DIY soylent powders are designed by a group of nutrition hobbyists who distrust existing healthy eating standards and crowdsource experimental soylent recipes in their online user forums. This DIY food tech rebellion offers an opportunity to look at the issues around present food standards and policies from the HCI perspective. This paper reports findings from in depth interviews with 21 soylent dieters, with the aim of identifying the risks and opportunities of the expert amateur DIY food practices.
CHI Extended Abstracts