Negative Perceptions of Young People Using E-Cigarettes on Instagram: An Experiment With Adolescents

Abstract

Background Although e-cigarette marketing on social media increases positive attitudes and experimentation, little is known about non-influencer e-cigarette portrayals of young people. Methods High school adolescents (n=928, 15-18) were recruited by Lightspeed Health for an online experiment and randomized to view an Instagram post with or without e-cigarette use. Outcomes were positive and negative perceptions (prototypes), social distance, and willingness to use. Results Half (50%) of participants were susceptible to e-cigarette use. E-cigarettes shown (vs. not) led to less positive prototypes, p=.017, more negative prototypes, p=.004, and more social distance, p<.001. Negative prototypes and social distance were moderated by susceptibility (both p<.05); effects among non-susceptible adolescents only. Showing e-cigarettes did not impact willingness to use if offered. Discussion Negative perceptions of e-cigarettes use challenge assumptions that vaping online is universally admirable. Highlighting unfavorable opinions of vaping or negative impacts for adolescents’ social image are potential strategies for tobacco counter-marketing. Implications Despite daily use of visual-based social media by most adolescents, little is known about the influence of e-cigarette use among young people online. Adolescent negative perceptions and desired distance from non-influencers using e-cigarettes on Instagram indicate digital e-cigarette portrayals are not universally accepted. Negative impacts for adolescents’ social image present a counter-marketing strategy.

A qualitative analysis of adolescents' perspectives on peer and influencer alcohol‐related posts on social media

“…Extending prior research, some participants described negative perceptions of peer‐ and influencer‐generated alcohol content, including that peers may be exhibiting poor judgement and that influencers may be ‘selling out’ or mis‐using their platform. This is consistent with findings relating to e‐cigarette posts on social media [53, 54]; however, more research is needed to disentangle how unfavourable attitudes about posting alcohol‐related content online is tied to future drinking behaviour and how that can be leveraged in interventions (e.g., employing influencers for anti‐alcohol campaigns, as has been used with other substances [55]). It is possible that the contrasting positive and negative perceptions of alcohol‐related posts by adolescents in this study highlight the bi‐directional relationship between social media content and adolescent attitudes, such that pre‐existing attitudes about alcohol use influence adolescent reactions to alcohol‐related posts and exposure to alcohol‐related posts influences adolescents' future attitudes about alcohol.…”