Electronic Cigarette Companies’ Twitter Messages: Public Interest (Mis)communication

Abstract

Despite increased controversies over the health effects of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), little is known about how the public interest issue has been discussed by e-cigarette companies on social media. Using arguments from the theory of planned behavior as a guide, this study examines how e-cigarette companies engage with potential customers on Twitter. Using quantitative content analysis, this study examined 525 tweets from the top five e-cigarette companies that occurred between July 9, 2016, and September 9, 2016, one month before and after the U.S Food and Drug Administration implemented a new regulation limiting sales and distribution of tobacco products to minors. Results indicate that the deeming did not affect e-cigarette companies’ message strategies on Twitter. Theoretical and practical applications for public interest communications are discussed.

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“…The few studies conducted in this subject area can be categorized into two groups, one that focuses on campaigns by manufacturers and the other on campaigns by policy makers. Scholars who study campaigns by manufacturers have analyzed general e-cigarette advertisements and their effects on people's attitudes to the product (Reinhold et al, 2017), specifically television advertising (Duke et al, 2014) and social media advertising of e-cigarettes (Chu et al, 2015;Kim et al, 2019). Those who have studied campaigns by policy makers tend to focus on feedback to their anti-vaping campaigns on social media (Allem et al, 2016;Harris et al, 2014;Zhan et al, 2018).…”

“…Most recently, on September 9, 2019, the FDA also accused JUUL of violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, citing evidence that JUUL had misleadingly marketed its products as a safer alternative to children in school (FDA, 2019). Due to the possible health consequences of e-cigarette use and the numerous marketing campaigns around the product, scholars have begun to look at e-cigarettes from the perspective of public interest communications (e.g., Kim et al, 2019). This is also part of the broader attention on health communications as an integral area for public interest communications (Demetrious, 2017;Downes, 2017).…”