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

Vol.11,No.2(2017)

Abstract

User-created alcohol promotion refers to the content distributed through new media which intends to promote consumption, but independent of commercial digital marketing. This study explores exposure to such user-created alcohol promotion and the association with higher-risk drinking in a sample of young adults in the United Kingdom. An online cross-sectional survey with 18-25 year olds (N = 405) was used to measure awareness of, and participation with, 11 forms of user-created alcohol promotion. Higher-risk drinking was measured through the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption (AUDIT-C). On average, participants were aware of 7.48 user-created alcohol promotion channels and had participated with 4.36. A hierarchical logistic regression highlighted a positive association between exposure to user-created alcohol promotion and higher-risk consumption, with participation (AOR = 1.64) having a stronger association with higher-risk consumption than awareness (AOR = 1.19). The results suggest that young adults are aware of, and participating with, a cumulative range of user-created alcohol promotion, both within and beyond social media. Further research is required to understand whether this association with higher-risk drinking is causal, the links between user-created alcohol promotion and commercial marketing, and the wider utility of user-created content to influence health behaviours in young adults.


Keywords:
Alcohol; users-created promotion; consumption; higher-risk drinking; young adults
References

Arnhold, U. (2010). User generated branding: Integrating user generated content into brand management. Bremen: Springer Gabler Research.

Atkinson, A., Elliot, G., Bellis, M., & Sumnall, H. (2011). Young people, alcohol and the media. York, UK: Joseph Roundtree Foundation. Retrieved from: https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/young-people-alcohol-and-media

Atkinson, A. M., Ross, K. M., Begley, E., & Sumnall, H. (2014). Constructing alcohol identities: The role of social network sites (SNS) in young peoples’ drinking cultures. (Alcohol insight number 119). London, UK: Alcohol Research UK. Retrieved from: http://alcoholresearchuk.org/news/constructing-alcohol-identities-the-role-of-social-network-sites-sns-in-young-peoples-drinking-cultures/

Austin, E.W., & Knaus, C. (2000). Predicting the potential for risky behavior among those “too young” to drink as the result of appealing advertising. Journal of Health Communication, 5(1), 13-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/108107300126722

Avery, A., Rae, L., Summit, J., & Kahn, S. A. (2016). The fire challenge: A case of report and analysis of self-inflicted flame injury posted on social media. Journal of Burn Care and Research, 37, 161-165. https://doi.org/10.1097/BCR.0000000000000324

Barry, A. R., Chaney, B. H., Stellefson, M. L., & Dodd, V. (2015). Evaluating the psychometric properties of the AUDIT-C among college students. Journal of Substance Use, 20(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.3109/14659891.2013.856479

Boyle, S. C., LaBrie, J. W., Froidevaux, N. M., & Witkovic, Y. D. (2016). Different digital paths to the keg: How exposure to peers’ alcohol-related social media content influences drinking among male and female first-year college students. Addictive Behaviours, 57, 21-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.01.011

Canbrera-Nguyen, E. P., Cavozos-Rehg, P., Krauss, M., Bierut, L. J., & Moreno, M. A. (2016). Young adults’ exposure to alcohol and marijuana related content on Twitter. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77, 349-353. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2016.77.349

Captain Morgan. (2015, December 22). What should your #SquadGoals be for 2016? BuzzFeed. Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/captainmorganglobal/what-should-your-squadgoals-be-for-2016?utm_term=.ukxmmkVXa#.wvAOOoEjw

Carah, N. (2014). Like, comment, share: Alcohol brand activity on Facebook. Deakin West, ACT: Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education. Retrieved from http://fare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/research/Facebook-and-alcohol-advertising-report.pdf

Carah, N., Meurk, C., & Hall, W. (2015). Profiling Hello Sunday Morning: Who are the participants. International Journey of Drug Policy, 26, 214-216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.07.019

Cavavoz-Rehg, P. A., Krauss, M. J., Sowles, S. J., & Bierut, L. J. (2014). "Hey Everyone, I'm Drunk." An evaluation of drinking-related Twitter chatter. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76, 635-643. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2015.76.635

Collins, R. K, Martino, S. C., Kovalchik, S. A., Becker, K. M., Shadel, W. G., & D’Amico, E. J. (2016). Alcohol advertising exposure among middle school-age youth: An assessment across all media and venues. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 77, 384-392. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2016.77.384

Committee of Advertising Practitioners. (2015). The CAP Code: The UK Code of non-broadcast advertising and direct & promotional marketing. London: Committee of Advertising Practitioners.

Conway, E. (2015, April 8). Tinder and sobriety are incompatible. The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/08/tinder-dating-sobriety-incompatible-drinking-alcohol-dating

Critchlow, N., Moodie, C., Bauld, L., Bonner, A., & Hastings, G. (2016). Awareness of, and participation with, digital alcohol marketing, and the association with frequency of high episodic drinking among young adults. Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy, 23, 328-336. https://doi.org/10.3109/09687637.2015.1119247

D’Angelo, J., Kerr, B., & Moreno, M.A. (2014). Facebook displays as predictors of binge drinking: From the virtual to the visceral. Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, 34, 159-169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467615584044

Dawson, D. A., Smith, S. M., Saha, T. D., Rubinsky, A. D., & Grant, B. F. (2012). Comparative performance of the AUDIT-C in screening for DSM-IV and DSM-5 consumption disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 126, 384-388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.05.029

de Bruijn, A., Tanghe, J., de Leeuw, R., Engels, R., Anderson, P., Beccaria, F., Bujalski, M., Celata, C., Gosselt, J., Schreckenberg, D., Slodownik, L., Wothge, J., van Dalen, W. (2016). European longitudinal study on the relationship between adolescents’ alcohol marketing exposure and alcohol use. Addiction, 111, 1774-1784. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13455

DeMartini, K. S. & Carey, K. B. (2012). Optimizing the Use of the AUDIT for Alcohol Screening in College Students. Psychological Assessment, 24, 954-963. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028519

Department of Health. (2013). NHS health check programme: Best practice guidance. London, UK: Department for Health. Retrieved from: www.healthcheck.nhs.uk/document.php?o=456

Facebook. (2015). Facebook Q2 2015 results. Retrieved from: http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/AMDA-NJ5DZ/0x0x842064/619A417E-5E3E-496C-B125-987FA25A0570/FB_Q215EarningsSlides.pdf

Finnis, A. (2015, May 25). 23 times Tumblr perfectly summed up being drunk. Retrieved from: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexfinnis/times-tumblr-perfectly-summed-up-being-drunk#.bh8WzVJMAb

Fournier, A. K., & Clarke, S. (2011). Do college students use Facebook to communicate about alcohol? An analysis of student profile pages. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 5(2), article 2. Retrieved from https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/4246/3292

Foxcroft, D. R., Smith, L., Thomas, H., & Howcutt, S. (2015). Accuracy of Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for detecting problem drinking in 18-35 year-olds in England: Method comparison study. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 50, 244-250. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agu095

Gell, L., Ally, A., Buykx, P., Hope, A., & Meier, P. (2015). Alcohol’s harm to others: An Institute of Alcohol Studies Report. London, UK: Institute for Alcohol Studies. Retrieved from http://www.ias.org.uk/uploads/pdf/IAS%20reports/rp18072015.pdf

Glassman, T. (2012). Implications for college students posting pictures of themselves drinking alcohol on Facebook. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 56, 38-58.

Gordon, R., MacKintosh, A. M., & Moodie, C. (2010). The impact of alcohol marketing on youth drinking behaviour: A two-stage cohort study. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 45, 470-480. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agq047

Griffiths, R., & Casswell, S. (2010). Intoxigenic digital spaces? Youth, social networking sites and alcohol marketing. Drug and Alcohol Review, 29, 525-530. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3362.2010.00178.x

Grube, J. W. (2004). Alcohol in the media: Drinking portrayals, alcohol advertising, and alcohol consumption among youth. In R. J. Bonnie & M. E. O’Connell (Eds), Reducing underage drinking: A collective responsibility (pp. 597-624). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Gupta, H., Pettigrew, S., Lam, T., & Tait, R. J. (2016). A systematic review of the impact of exposure to internet-based alcohol-related content on young people’s alcohol use behaviours. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 51, 763-771. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agw050

Instagram. (2015). Press page. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/press/

Internet Society. (2015). Global internet report 2015. Geneva, Switzerland: Internet Society. Retrieved from: http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-063122601X.html

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York, NY: New York University Press.

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons 53, 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003

Klettke, B., Hallford, D. J., & Mellor, D. J. (2014). Sexting prevalence and correlates: A systematic literature review. Clinical Psychology Review, 34, 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.10.007

Lin, E-Y., Caswell, S., You, R. Q., & Huckle, T. (2012). Engagement with alcohol marketing and early brand allegiance. Addiction Research and Theory, 20, 329-338. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2011.632699

Litt, D. M. & Stock, M. L. (2011). Adolescent alcohol-related risk cognitions: The roles of social norms and social networking sites. Psychology of Addictive Behaviours, 25, 708-713. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024226

Livingstone, S. (2003). The changing nature of audiences: From the mass audience to the interactive media user. In A. N. Valdivia (Ed.), A companion to media studies (pp. 337-359). London, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Lobstein, T., Landon, J., Thornton, N., & Jernigan, D. (2016). The commercial use of digital media to market alcohol products: A systematic review. Addiction. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13493

Lyons, A. C., McCreanor, T., Goodwin, I., Moewaka-Barnes, H., O’Carroll A. D., Niland, P., . . . Vroman, K. (2014). Flaunting it on Facebook: young adults, drinking cultures and the cult of celebrity. Wellington, NZ: Massey University School of Psychology. Retrieved from: http://mro.massey.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10179/5187/DrinkingCulturesReportWeb.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y

Marczinski, C. A., Hertzenberg, H., Goddard, P., Maloney, S. F., Stamates, A. L., & O’Connor, K. (2016). Alcohol-related Facebook activity predicts alcohol use patterns in college students. Addiction, Research and Theory, 24, 398-405. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2016.1146709

Mart, S., Mergendoller, J., & Simon, M. (2009). Alcohol promotion on Facebook. The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice, 3(18), 1-8. Retrieved from: http://www.globaldrugpolicy.org/Issues/Vol%203%20Issue%203/Alcohol%20Promotion%20on%20Facebook.pdf

McCracken, J. C., & Macklin, M. C. (1998). The role of brand names and visual cues in enhancing memory for consumer packaged goods. Marketing Letters, 9, 209-226. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007965117170

McKenzie, P. J., Burkell, S., Wong, L., Whippey, C., Trowso, S. E., & McNally, M. (2012). User-created online content 1: Overview, current state and context. First Monday, 17(6-4), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v17i6.3912

McNally, M. B., Trosow, S. E., Wong, L., Whippey, C., Burkell, J., & McKenzie, P. J. (2012). User-created online content 2: Policy implications. First Monday, 17(6-4), article 2. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v17i6.3913

Moreno, M. A., Cox, E. D., Young, H. N., & Haaland, W. (2015). Underage college students’ alcohol displays on Facebook and real-time alcohol behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56, 646-651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.02.020

Moreno, M. A., D’Angelo, J., & Whitehill, J. (2016). Social media and alcohol: Summary of research, intervention ideas and future study directions. Media and Communications, 4(3), 50-59. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v4i3.529

Moreno, M. A., Briner, L. R., Williams, A., Brockman, L., Walker, L., & Christakis, D. A. (2009). Real use or “real cool”: Adolescents speak out about displayed alcohol references on social networking websites. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45, 420-422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.04.015

Moreno, M. A., Parks, M., & Richardson, L. P. (2007). What are adolescents showing the world about their health risk behaviours on MySpace? Medscape General Medicine, 9(4), 9-15. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18311359

Morgan, E. M., Snelson, C., & Elison-Bowers, P. (2010). Image and video disclosure of substance use on social media websites. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 1405-1411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.04.017

Moss, A. C., Spada, M. M., Harkin, J., Albery, I. P., Rycroft, N., & Nikcevic, A. V. (2015). Neknomination: Predictors in a sample of UK university students. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 1, 73-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2015.05.003

Neknominate. (n.d.). In Facebook [Community]. Retrieved June, 30, 2015 from https://www.facebook.com/neknominate2014/?fref=ts

Newbury-Birch, D., Walker, J. Avery, L., Beyer, F., Brown, N., Jackson, C. A., McGovern, R., Kaner, E., Gilvarry, E., & Stewart, S. (2009). Impact of alcohol consumption on young people: A systematic review of published reviews. Newcastle, UK: Newcastle University.

Niland, P., Lyons, A. C., Goodwin, I., & Hutton, F. (2014). ‘See it doesn’t look does it?’: Young adults airbrushed drinking practices on Facebook. Psychology and Health, 29, 877-895. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2014.893345

Niland, P., McCreanor, T., Lyons, A. C., & Griffin, C. (2017). Alcohol marketing on social media: Young adults engage with alcohol marketing on Facebook. Addiction Research and Theory, 25, 273-284. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2016.1245293

Norman, J., Grace, S., & Lloyd, C. (2014). Legal high groups on the internet: The creation of new organised deviant groups? Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 21(1), 14-23. https://doi.org/10.3109/09687637.2013.769500

OFCOM. (2015a). Adults’ media use and attitudes report, 2015. London, UK: OFCOM. Retrieved from: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/research-publications/adults/media-lit-10years/

OFCOM. (2015b). Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report, 2015. London, UK: OFCOM. Retrieved from: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/research-publications/childrens/children-parents-nov-15/

Office for National Statistics. (2015a). Statistical bulletin: Internet users, 2015. London: Office for National Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2015

Office for National Statistics. (2015b). Adult drinking habits in Great Britain, 2013. London, UK: Office for National Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/compendium/opinionsandlifestylesurvey/2015-03-19/adultdrinkinghabitsingreatbritain2013

Office for National Statistics. (2016). Statistics on alcohol: England 2016. London, UK: Office for National Statistics. Retrieved from: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB20999/alc-eng-2016-rep.pdf

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2007). Participative web: User-created promotion. OECD. Retrieved from: http://www.oecd.org/sti/38393115.pdf

Parder, M-L. & Vihaleem, T. (2015). “...if there’s a party, then there’s definitely alcohol”: Construction of partying practices and abstinence in Estonian youth forums. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 32, 563-578. https://doi.org/10.1515/nsad-2015-0054

Pennay, A., MacLean, S., & Rankin, G. (2016). Hello Sunday Morning: Alcohol, (non)consumption and selfhood. International Journey of Drug Policy, 28, 67-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.10.008 0955-3959

Perry, F. (2015, October 6). Can we guess what kind of drunk you are? BuzzFeed. Retrieved from: https://www.buzzfeed.com/floperry/can-we-guess-what-kind-of-drunk-you-are?utm_term=.nhQRRV9bY#.jgRmmEbAy

Primack, B. A., Colditz, J. B., Pang, K. C., & Jackson, K. M. (2015). Portrayal of alcohol intoxication on YouTube. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 39, 496-503. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.12640

Pumper, A., & Moreno, M. A. (2013). Identifying high-risk alcohol users among first-year college students: Attitude, intention, and Facebook. Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 1(5), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.4172/2329-6488.1000128

Ridout, B. (2016). Facebook, social media and its application to problem drinking among college students. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 83-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.12.005

Ridout, B., Campbell, A., & Ellis, L. (2012). ‘Off your Face(book)’: Alcohol in online social identity construction and its relation to problem drinking in university students. Drug and Alcohol Review, 31(1), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3362.2010.00277.x

Statistica. (2015). Distribution of internet users worldwide as of November 2014, by age group. Retrieved from: http://www.statista.com/statistics/272365/age-distribution-of-internet-users-worldwide/

Statistics Brain. (2015). YouTube Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.statisticbrain.com/youtube-statistics/

Stoddard, S. A., Bauermeister, J. E., Gordon-Messer, D., Johns, M., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2012). Permissive norms and young adults’ alcohol and marijuana use: The role of online communities. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73, 968-975. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2012.73.968

StreamDaily. (2014, June 23rd). Under the influence of….Alcohol! Stream Daily. Retrieved from: http://streamdaily.tv/2014/06/23/under-the-influence-of-alcohol/#

Thompson, S. R., & Fulton, K. (2007). Adolescents’ attention to responsibility messages in magazine alcohol advertisements: An eye-tracking approach. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(1, 27-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.02.014

van Dijck, J. (2009). Users like you? Theorizing agency in user-generated content. Media, Culture and Society, 31, 41-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443708098245

van Dijck, J. (2012). Facebook as a tool for producing sociality and connectivity. Television and New Media, 13, 160-176. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476411415291

van Hoof, J. J., Bekkers, J., & van Vuuren, M. (2014). “Son, you’re smoking on Facebook!” College students’ disclosure on social networking sites as indicators of real-life risk behaviours. Computers in Human Behaviour, 34, 249-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.02.008

Viral Videos Today. (2014, January 16). Neknomination Neknominate Compilation #1 – January 2014 – Latest Social Media Trend [YouTube video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZmQlR03J1g

Weaver, E. R., Horyniak, D. R., Jenkinson, R., Dietze, P., & Lim, M. S. C. (2013). “Let’s get wasted” and other apps: Characteristics, acceptability and use of alcohol-related smartphone application. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 1(1), e9. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.2709

Westgate, E. C., & Holliday, J. (2016). Identity, influence and intervention: The roles of social media in alcohol use. Current Opinion in Psychology, 9, 27-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.10.014

Westgate, E. C., Neighbors, C., Heppner, H., Jahn, S., & Lindgren, K. P. (2014). "I will take a shot for every 'like' I get on this status": posting alcohol-related Facebook content is linked to drinking outcomes. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 75, 390-398. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2014.75.390

Wombacher, K., Reno, J. E., & Veil, S. R. (2016). NekNominate: Social norms, social media, and binge drinking. Health Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2016.1146567

World Health Organisation. (2014). Global status report on alcohol and health 2014. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organisation. Retrieved from: http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/112736/1/9789240692763_eng.pdf

Zonfrillo, M. R., Arbogast, K., & Fien, J. (2014). The knockout game: Recreational assault and traumatic brain injury. The Lancet, 386, 513-514. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60184-7

Zonfrillo, M. R., & Osterhoudt, K. C. (2014). Neknominate: A deadly, social media-based drinking dare. Clinical Paediatrics, 53(12), 1215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922814536265

Metrics

3273

Views

526

PDF views