Dataset Information

From Apple to Werewolf: A content analysis of marketing for e-liquids on Instagram.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:With the growing popularity of refillable e-cigarettes and recent FDA regulatory action on e-liquid warning labels, e-liquids are an increasingly important area of study. At present, however, little is known about how e-liquids are marketed. This study examined e-liquid marketing on the visual social media platform Instagram, on which users have created significant amounts of e-cigarette related content. METHODS:A systematic, random sample of Instagram posts with either #eliquid or #ejuice was collected from the Instagram API during one week in May 2017 and in October 2017 using the Netlytic application. A final sample of 1000 posts was analyzed using qualitative content analysis to discern e-liquid themes, claims, promotions, and products promoted. RESULTS:Of the 1000 posts, 61.1% promoted e-liquid. These posts were most frequently made by vape shops and ambassadors/representatives. Almost 80% of promotional posts featured a flavored e-liquid. Posts focused largely on e-liquids tasting good (35.4%) or being cool/edgy (19.0%). Many posts made use of Instagram's visual nature to share creative label designs. Just over a third of posts made some claim about e-liquid benefits or quality, with smokeless tobacco claims being most common. Although posts most commonly originated from the United States, posts made from Indonesia and the United Kingdom were also common. CONCLUSIONS:E-liquid marketing on Instagram emphasizes positive experiences, personalization, and aspirational identities rather than explicit health and cessation claims. Appeal to youth is a significant concern based both on marketing strategies and the demographics of Instagram users.

SUBMITTER: Laestadius LI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6358470 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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From Apple to Werewolf: A content analysis of marketing for e-liquids on Instagram.

Laestadius Linnea I LI Wahl Megan M MM Pokhrel Pallav P Cho Young I YI

Addictive behaviors 20180909

<h4>Introduction</h4>With the growing popularity of refillable e-cigarettes and recent FDA regulatory action on e-liquid warning labels, e-liquids are an increasingly important area of study. At present, however, little is known about how e-liquids are marketed. This study examined e-liquid marketing on the visual social media platform Instagram, on which users have created significant amounts of e-cigarette related content.<h4>Methods</h4>A systematic, random sample of Instagram posts with eith ...[more]

PMID: 30253933

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Project description:BackgroundThe human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a major advancement in cancer prevention and this primary prevention tool has the potential to reduce and eliminate HPV-associated cancers; however, the safety and efficacy of vaccines in general and the HPV vaccine specifically have come under attack, particularly through the spread of misinformation on social media. The popular social media platform Instagram represents a significant source of exposure to health (mis)information; 1 in 3 US adults use Instagram.ObjectiveThe objective of this analysis was to characterize pro- and anti-HPV vaccine networks on Instagram, and to describe misinformation within the anti-HPV vaccine network.MethodsFrom April 2018 to December 2018, we collected publicly available English-language Instagram posts containing hashtags #HPV, #HPVVaccine, or #Gardasil using Netlytic software (n=16,607). We randomly selected 10% of the sample and content analyzed relevant posts (n=580) for text, image, and social media features as well as holistic attributes (eg, sentiments, personal stories). Among antivaccine posts, we organized elements of misinformation within four broad dimensions: 1) misinformation theoretical domains, 2) vaccine debate topics, 3) evidence base, and 4) health beliefs. We conducted univariate, bivariate, and network analyses on the subsample of posts to quantify the role and position of individual posts in the network.ResultsCompared to provaccine posts (324/580, 55.9%), antivaccine posts (256/580, 44.1%) were more likely to originate from individuals (64.1% antivaccine vs 25.0% provaccine; P<.001) and include personal narratives (37.1% vs 25.6%; P=.003). In the antivaccine network, core misinformation characteristics included mentioning #Gardasil, purporting to reveal a lie (ie, concealment), conspiracy theories, unsubstantiated claims, and risk of vaccine injury. Information/resource posts clustered around misinformation domains including falsification, nanopublications, and vaccine-preventable disease, whereas personal narrative posts clustered around different domains of misinformation, including concealment, injury, and conspiracy theories. The most liked post (6634 likes) in our full subsample was a positive personal narrative post, created by a non-health individual; the most liked post (5604 likes) in our antivaccine subsample was an informational post created by a health individual.ConclusionsIdentifying characteristics of misinformation related to HPV vaccine on social media will inform targeted interventions (eg, network opinion leaders) and help sow corrective information and stories tailored to different falsehoods.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Electric scooters (e-scooters) have become a popular mode of transportation in both the United States and Europe. In the wake of this popularity, e-scooters have changed the commuting experience in many metropolitan areas. Although e-scooters offer an efficient and economical way to travel short distances in traffic-congested areas, recent studies have raised concerns over their safety. Bird and Tier Mobility are 2 popular e-scooter companies in the United States and Europe, respectively. Both companies maintain active social media accounts with hundreds of posts and tens of thousands of followers. Recent studies have shown that consumer behavior may be influenced by the content posted to popular social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to examine the official Instagram and Twitter accounts of Bird and Tier Mobility to determine whether these companies promote and demonstrate the use of safety gear in their posts to their consumers. METHODS:Posts to Bird's (n=287) and Tier Mobility's (n=190) official Instagram accounts, as well as Bird's (n=313) and Tier Mobility's (n=67) official Twitter accounts, were collected from November 9, 2018, to October 7, 2019. Rules for coding content of posts were informed by previous research. RESULTS:Among posts to Bird's Instagram account, 69.3% (199/287) had a person visible with an e-scooter, 9.1% (26/287) contained persons wearing protective gear, and there were no mentions of protective gear in captions corresponding to the post. Among posts to Tier Mobility's Instagram account, 84.7% (161/190) contained a person visible with an e-scooter, 36.3% (69/190) contained persons wearing protective gear, and 4.2% (8/190) of captions corresponding to posts mentioned protective gear. Among posts to Bird's Twitter account, 71.9% (225/313) had an image, of which 44.0% (99/225) contained a person visible with an e-scooter and 15.1% (34/225) contained persons wearing protective gear. Among posts to Tier Mobility's Twitter account, 78% (52/67) had an image, of which 52% (27/52) contained a person with an e-scooter and 21% (11/52) contained persons wearing protective gear. CONCLUSIONS:Findings show that modeling and promoting safety is rare on Bird's and Tier Mobility's official social media accounts, which may contribute to the normalization of unsafe riding practices. Social media platforms may offer a potential avenue for public health officials to intervene with rider safety campaigns for public education.

Dataset Information

From Apple to Werewolf: A content analysis of marketing for e-liquids on Instagram.

Publications

From Apple to Werewolf: A content analysis of marketing for e-liquids on Instagram.

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