Examination of YouTube videos related to synthetic cannabinoids

Abstract

The popularity of synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) is increasing the chance for adverse health issues in the United States. Moreover, social media platforms such as YouTube that provided a platform for user-generated content can convey misinformation or glorify use of SCBs. The aim of this study was to fill this gap by describing the content of the most popular YouTube videos containing content related to the SCBs. Videos with at least 1000 or more views found under the search terms “K2” and “spice” included in the analysis. The collective number of views was over 7.5 million. Nearly half of videos were consumer produced (n = 42). The most common content in the videos was description of K2 (n = 69), followed by mentioning dangers of using K2 (n = 47), mentioning side effects (n = 38) and showing a person using K2 (n = 37). One-third of videos (n = 34) promoted use of K2, while 22 videos mentioned risk of dying as a consequence of using K2. YouTube could be used as a surveillance tool to combat this epidemic, but instead, the most widely videos related to SCBs are uploaded by consumers. The content of these consumer videos on YouTube often provide the viewer with access to view a wide array of uploaders describing, encouraging, participating and promoting use.

Subject matter of videos for teens on YouTube

“…As regards the second aim of this study, regarding analysing the characteristics of the audiovisual material, the videos about drugs, and in the absence of a qualitative study which looks deeper into the content, these videos offer a more suitable format for the adolescent audience as their audiovisual material shows private spaces to a lesser extent, there are less cases of children appearing without their identities being protected and they also stand out due to their positive focus. In any case, it would be advisable to look into this issue in more depth, given the characteristics of videos on these topics (Fullwood et al, 2016).…”

“…This is a relevant subject. As noted in Fullwood, Kecojevic, and Basch (2016), in connection with synthetic cannabinoids it is observed that, in spite of YouTube's potential as a surveillance tool to fight the epidemic (in the case of the USA), most of the videos related to this theme are uploaded by consumers and are videos describing, encouraging and promoting drug use. Be that as it may, this phenomenon encourages different institutions and authorities to create and disseminate informational videos which take into account at a theoretical and practical level the options of changing behaviour on health issues.…”

Prevalence of Health Misinformation on Social Media: Systematic Review

“…Other studies pointed to social media as a potential source of information that illegally promotes the sale of controlled prescription drugs directly to consumers [66]. In the case of cannabinoids, there was often content that described, encouraged, promoted [54], or even normalized the consumption of illicit substances [70].…”

The Quality of Online Health-Related Information – an Emergent Consumer Health Issue

“…Various authors conclude that the Internet is not a reliable source of information and does not accurately inform patients about coronary heart disease [28], cardiac murmurs [29], varicose veins and the treatment options [30], gastric cancer [31], breast cancer [32,33], head and neck cancers [34], oral cancer [35], prostate cancer [36], urological oncology [37], hemangiomas [38], menopause [39], diabetes mellitus [40,41], parathyroid disease [42], healthy nutrition [43,44], vitamin B12 [45], depression [46], epilepsy [47] rheumatological conditions [48], osteoporosis [49], first aid for burns [50,51], first aid in choking [52], cervical and lumbar disc herniation [53,54], scoliosis [55], vascular and other surgical operations [56,57], influenza [58], child fever [59], coeliac disease [60]. The concerns regarding the poor quality and many times even misguided health-related information available on the Internet have increased with the advent of Web 2.0 and its equivalents in the medical field (health blogs, health-oriented social media groups, YouTube), namely Health 2.0 and Medicine 2.0, which are characterized, among other traits, by an unprecedented increase in user-provided content [61][62][63].…”