At home and online during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and the relationship to alcohol consumption in a national sample of U.S. adults

Abstract

Objective: The current study seeks to understand the links between social media use and alcohol consumption during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Data were from the national Understanding American Study, a probability-based Internet panel weighted to represent the U.S. population. Subjects (N=5874; 51% female) were adults, 18 years and older, who completed a March survey (wave 1) and a follow-up survey one month later (wave 3). Analyses assessed the relationship of social media use at wave 1 with wave 3 alcohol use, accounting for wave 1 alcohol use and the socio-demographic characteristics of the sample. We examined the effect of working or studying from home as a moderator. Results: Twitter and Instagram users, but not Facebook users, drank more frequently at wave 3 than non-users. For Instagram users, more frequent alcohol use at wave 3 was at least partially attributed to the frequency of drinking at wave 1. The interaction between Twitter use and working or studying from home was statistically significant. The combination of being on Twitter and working or studying from home was associated with drinking more days a week. Conclusions: Exposure to content about COVID-19 and increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic may contribute to more frequent alcohol use for some social media users, especially those sheltering at home. The study of public health messaging via social media to change alcohol use behaviors during traumatic events is warranted.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Usage during COVID-19: Motivating Factors and Implications

“…A study conducted during June 2020 found that college students had excessive use of social networking sites and lack of personal control to disengage themselves from those sites [ 42 ]; this tendency was also associated with the use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and sedative without a doctor’s prescription. Another study conducted in March and April 2020 in the U.S. suggested that exposure to COVID-19 information, via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and increased alcohol use in March contributed to more frequent alcohol consumption in April, especially those working or studying from home [ 43 ]. These empirical studies suggest that even though ICT provides a means of social connection with one’s social networks and the wider community, moderate and responsible use is important in maintaining a healthy approach to it.…”