Only for Friends, Definitely Not for Parents: Adolescents’ Sharing of Alcohol References on Social Media Features

Vanherle, Robyn; Hendriks, Hanneke; Beullens, Kathleen

doi:10.1080/15205436.2022.2035767

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The use of these same prompts in the present study thus standardizes the procedure of self-presentation with prior identity shift research, allowing for future meta-analyses and direct comparisons among findings; but at the expense of external validity regarding typical social media posting behaviors. Although some individuals consciously share alcohol posts to create a desirable image of themselves or fit in with their peers (Hebden et al, 2015; Niland et al, 2014), and individuals consciously consider which social media platforms are most appropriate to share different types of alcohol-related content on (Vanherle et al, 2022), many studies indicate most alcohol posts are shared without much conscious awareness of the fact that alcohol is present in the post (Geusens & Beullens, 2021c; Hendriks et al, 2017). By contrast, our design focused on this conscious awareness of alcohol by having the participants answer prompts related to their alcohol use, even when we told them not to focus on the alcohol.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it the Drinks or the Friends?

Geusens

Carr

Beullens

2024

Journal of Media Psychology

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Prior research has repeatedly found a positive relationship between sharing alcohol references on social media and drinking behavior. This study adds to the literature by testing for alcohol-related self-effects of social media use. We explored attitudes and self-concept as potential underlying mechanisms, and tested whether it is the depicted alcohol that elicits an effect or depiction of the associated socialness of going out with friends. This preregistered study ( N = 178) employed a fully-crossed 3 (drinking presentation: explicit v. implicit v. none) × 2 (socialness: with others v. alone) experimental design. A two-way MANOVA using Pillai’s trace tested for significant differences in attitudes, drinking and non-drinking identity, and drinking intentions across six self-presentation conditions. Neither an effect of alcohol self-presentation nor of socialness self-presentation on alcohol-related cognitions were identified. Findings raise important questions about the causality of the relationship between sharing alcohol posts on social media and drinking behavior.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it the Drinks or the Friends?

Geusens

Carr

Beullens

2024

Journal of Media Psychology

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“…We also did not focus on ARC on a specific platform (e.g., Facebook) but rather focused on ARC shared across multiple platforms. In contrast, social media platforms have different ARC cultures (e.g., Instagram for glamorised content, Snapchat for casual content) [41,42]. Furthermore, greater use of Instagram and Snapchat associates with greater consumption and sharing ARC cross-sectionally [43][44][45] and over time [46,47].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Following social media influencers who share alcohol‐related content is associated with college drinking

Strowger

Guzman

Geyer

et al. 2023

Drug and Alcohol Review

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IntroductionFrequent exposure to peer‐shared alcohol‐related content (ARC) on social media is associated with greater alcohol consumption and related consequences among undergraduates. Social media influencers also share ARC; yet, the effect of exposure to influencer‐shared ARC on alcohol outcomes has not been examined. The current study examined whether following influencers who share ARC and the frequency of sharing were associated with alcohol outcomes, and associations between influencer type (e.g., actors) and alcohol outcomes.MethodsUndergraduates (N = 528) from two universities in the United States completed an online survey assessing demographics, social media use, alcohol use and related consequences. They listed up to five influencers they followed and viewed the most content from. A series of linear regression models were conducted.ResultsHaving a larger proportion of influencers sharing ARC was associated with greater quantity, frequency and peak drinks, but not consequences. Frequency of influencers sharing ARC was associated with greater quantity and peak drinks, but not frequency or consequences. Findings remained significant, even after controlling for peer ARC. Actor ARC, everyday person ARC and ‘other’ type influencer ARC were associated with several alcohol outcomes.Discussion and ConclusionsThis study added to the literature by examining how following influencers who share ARC, and sharing frequency, were associated with drinking outcomes over and above exposure to peer ARC. It also examined whether ARC content from specific types of influencers was associated with alcohol outcomes. Findings highlight that the source of ARC is relevant when studying the effects of ARC exposure on college drinking.

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“…As only 10% of participants were observed to post about substances during the daily period, it is possible that this rate was too low to observe critical associations with use. Future research targeting samples with a higher likelihood of substance use and posting about use could help elucidate these associations, such as by recruiting older emerging adults (Hendriks et al, 2017) or those who already report engaging in substance use (Vanherle et al, 2022a). Additionally, many report posting about substances without conscious awareness or realizing that substances are in a post (Hendriks et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Posts about marijuana, e-cigarettes, and cigarettes may have simply been too few to capture the association with posting, particularly as our observation was limited to posts that were through non-exclusive channels. As noted above, emerging adults may turn to more private digital contexts, such as private snaps or direct messaging, to communicate about more illicit and disapproved substances (Vanherle et al, 2022a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Snapchat and Instagram are especially popular among emerging adults (Auxier & Anderson, 2021), exposure to and posting about alcohol and other substances on these platforms may simply reflect their higher use frequency. Alternatively, emerging adults may be attracted to the ephemeral features that both platforms have through the story feature, particularly to display more problematic substance use (Vanherle et al, 2022a). With stories, users upload content that is erased after a short period of time, up to 24 hours.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emerging Adults’ Exposure to and Postings About Substance Use on Social Media: An Observational Study

2022

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In a community sample of emerging adults ( N = 232), this study (a) assessed participants’ exposure to and postings about alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and marijuana across social media platforms, (b) investigated how exposure to and posting about text versus visual substance-related content differentially relate to one’s own use, and (c) tested if exposure to versus posting about substances differentially relate to use. Data were collected via cross-sectional, daily, and observational methods. Participants were frequently exposed to substances on social media. Postings were less common, with Snapchat a notable outlet. Visual posts were somewhat more prominently linked to one’s own use than text posts. Posting about substances tended to be more strongly associated with own use than exposure, but this did not necessarily replicate with observed assessments. Social media platforms are key for emerging adults to encounter and post about substance use content, with implications for emerging adults’ own substance use.

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Only for Friends, Definitely Not for Parents: Adolescents’ Sharing of Alcohol References on Social Media Features

Cited by 16 publications

References 39 publications

Is it the Drinks or the Friends?

Is it the Drinks or the Friends?

Following social media influencers who share alcohol‐related content is associated with college drinking

Emerging Adults’ Exposure to and Postings About Substance Use on Social Media: An Observational Study

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