NekNominate: Social Norms, Social Media, and Binge Drinking

Abstract

This study examines the social-media-based binge drinking game NekNominate and how this phenomenon is related to social norms. NekNominate is a game wherein players are nominated to film themselves "neking" or chugging copious amounts of alcohol or drinking alcohol in a novel or humorous manner. The player then nominates other players via social media who then have a specific timeframe in which they must complete their challenge or face ridicule. Health communication research on drinking behaviors has often looked at the role of social norms in determining these behaviors. News stories (n = 44) of NekNominate and tweets (n = 851) culled using the hashtag #NekNominate during three different time periods are analyzed to identify the normative forces at play in this recent phenomenon.

Nutritional Analysis of Foods and Beverages Posted in Social Media Accounts of Highly Followed Celebrities

“…Half of all beverages depicted on celebrity social media accounts were alcoholic beverages, as were nearly two-thirds (63.4%) of beverages in sponsored posts. This finding is consistent with research on the ease with which youths can access alcohol content on social media 16 , 17 , 18 , 26 , 28 and with the finding that social media posts frequently associate alcohol with positive attributes. 28 Depicting alcohol as such a large share of beverages matters because social media exposure to alcohol content is associated with alcohol consumption in adolescents and young adults, 17 , 58 and these processes are mediated, in part, by perceived norms.…”

“…28 Depicting alcohol as such a large share of beverages matters because social media exposure to alcohol content is associated with alcohol consumption in adolescents and young adults, 17,58 and these processes are mediated, in part, by perceived norms. [16][17][18] Although beverage nutrition scores were not associated with likes and comments, trends by celebrity demographics suggested that beverage posts by male celebrities depicted higher alcohol content than did beverage posts by female celebrities. In addition, beverage posts by music artists depicted higher sugar content than did beverage posts from athletes or from actors, actresses, and television personalities.…”

“…Posting such foods and beverages can shape followers' perceptions of what is normative to consume. [16][17][18] Moreover, food posts with less healthy nutrition scores were associated with increased likes and comments from followers, indicating greater social approval. 15 The profile of beverages was noteworthy.…”

A Social Media-Based Acute Alcohol Consumption Behavior (NekNomination): Case Series in Italian Emergency Departments

“…NekNominate seems to be an on-off phenomenon related to 2013-2014; nevertheless, Wombacher et al [ 23 ] wrote about it and its relation to social norms in June 2016. Although NekNomination is no longer shown in the media and is now not a search trend in Google or Twitter, this does not mean the practice has disappeared: modern video exchange methods, (eg, Snapchat or WhatsApp) are now more private than in the past and allow users to exchange videos between individuals or groups of selected friends.…”

Awareness of, and participation with, user-created alcohol promotion, and the association with higher-risk drinking in young adults

“…NekNominate provides a high-profile example which shows that user-created alcohol promotion can also appear across multiple channels. NekNominate was an online drinking game in which an individual posted a video of themselves consuming an alcoholic drink before nominating a peer, by tagging them on social media, to continue the practice within the next 24 hours (Wombacher, Reno, & Veil, 2016;Zonfrillo & Osterhoudt, 2014). The game not only generated content from users, but also produced public fan pages (Neknominate, n.d.) and video compilations of individuals taking part (Viral Videos Today, 2014).…”