Understanding e-cigarette content and promotion on YouTube through machine learning

Abstract

IntroductionYouTube is a popular social media used by youth and has electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) content. We used machine learning to identify the content of e-cigarette videos, featured e-cigarette products, video uploaders, and marketing and sales of e-cigarette products.MethodsWe identified e-cigarette content using 18 search terms (eg, e-cig) using fictitious youth viewer profiles and predicted four models using the metadata as the input to supervised machine learning: (1) video themes, (2) featured e-cigarette products, (3) channel type (ie, video uploaders) and (4) discount/sales. We assessed the association between engagement data and the four models.Results3830 English videos were included in the supervised machine learning. The most common video theme was ‘product review’ (48.9%), followed by ‘instruction’ (eg, ‘how to’ use/modify e-cigarettes; 17.3%); diverse e-cigarette products were featured; ‘vape enthusiasts’ most frequently posted e-cigarette videos (54.0%), followed by retailers (20.3%); 43.2% of videos had discount/sales of e-cigarettes; and the most common sales strategy was external links for purchasing (34.1%). ‘Vape trick’ was the least common theme but had the highest engagement (eg, >2 million views). ‘Cannabis’ (53.9%) and ‘instruction’ (49.9%) themes were more likely to have external links for purchasing (p<0.001). The four models achieved an F1 score (a measure of model accuracy) of up to 0.87.DiscussionOur findings indicate that on YouTube videos accessible to youth, a variety of e-cigarette products are featured through diverse videos themes, with discount/sales. The findings highlight the need to regulate the promotion of e-cigarettes on social media platforms.

Content Analysis of YouTube Videos Related to E-cigarettes and COVID-19

“…( 41) Further, we found a video instructing how to modify a vaping device for use while wearing a mask. Consistent with prior studies, (12,42) e-cigarette modification videos still persist, but are now related to COVID-19. Taken together, these results show that videos endorsing risky behaviors and have gained attention from YouTube users.…”

“…We adapted a codebook that had previously been used for the analysis of e-cigarette-related content on YouTube for this study ( Table 1 ). (12) The lead author viewed the videos and categorized themes (i.e., classified the major theme as it relates to e-cigarettes and COVID-19), uploader type (who posted these videos), and featured e-cigarette products (whether these videos portrayed e-cigarette products) based on prior research(3,12) and added new themes related to COVID-19. Another author reviewed and confirmed and/or modified the themes.…”

“…YouTube is an important source to understand e-cigarette promotion. Given that YouTube is the most frequently used social media by all age groups,(5) and YouTube is a popular source to obtain health-related information, including e-cigarettes, (12) examining how COVID-19 and e-cigarettes are portrayed on YouTube is important. This information may provide valuable insight into prohibiting the marketing content that promotes e-cigarette use and identify misinformation to inform countermarketing and educational efforts.…”

Influence of User Profile Attributes on e-Cigarette–Related Searches on YouTube: Machine Learning Clustering and Classification

“…For instance, Huang et al [ 18 ] analyzed 28,000 e-cigarette–related YouTube videos and found that those videos had received more than 100 million views, indicating high engagement by users [ 18 ]. Further, e-cigarettes are frequently positively portrayed on YouTube and pro–e-cigarette videos are commonly sponsored by the e-cigarette industry [ 19 ]; 85% of the e-cigarette–related videos on YouTube are sponsored by e-cigarette marketers, including e-cigarette companies or people endorsing e-cigarette companies [ 20 ]. Pro–e-cigarette videos include portrayals of e-cigarettes as safer, cleaner, and less malodorous than combustible cigarettes [ 21 ]; videos showcasing or teaching how to conduct vape tricks (ie, using e-cigarettes to blow large, thick amounts of exhaled aerosol or shapes) [ 8 ]; modification of e-cigarette devices for unintended purposes such as increasing the temperature and using other substances in it [ 19 , 22 , 23 ]; instructions on how to use e-cigarettes (eg, how to puff) [ 24 ]; product reviews [ 25 ]; and health information or misinformation about e-cigarette use [ 26 ].…”

“…For instance, males have consistently shown a higher level of e-cigarette use among adolescents and adults [ 31 ], and data suggest that e-cigarette–related videos such as vape tricks videos mostly feature young men and seem to be targeting this population [ 8 ]. A recent study identified that e-cigarette content on YouTube contained themes related to product reviews (provide reviews of e-cigarette products), instructional videos (teach viewers how to use, modify, or create e-cigarette products), health information (provide health information related to e-cigarettes), vape tricks (feature different vape tricks), cannabis (cannabis vaping–related topics), and other (a variety of other themes such as news clips related to e-cigarette use) [ 19 ]. However, less known is whether these video themes are differentially exposed to users by their demographic attributes.…”