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Yang S, Cotter LM, Lu L, Kriss LA, Minich M, Liu J, Silver LD, Cascio CN. Countering online marketing and user endorsements with enhanced cannabis warning labels: An online experiment among at-risk youth and young adults. Prev Med 2024; 180:107877. [PMID: 38266719 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.107877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
As cannabis legalization expands and online marketing intensifies, this study examines whether online social cues can amplify youth-targeted cannabis advertising and whether cannabis warning labels (CWLs) can counteract these influences. A U.S. online sample of 970 adolescents and 1776 young adults susceptible to cannabis use were recruited from Qualtrics in summer 2022. Each participant was randomly assigned to one of the 3 (CWLs: none vs. textual vs. pictorial) by 3 (comments: none vs. anti-cannabis vs. pro-cannabis) conditions in an online experiment. Participants were exposed to three online marketing posts promoting marijuana edibles (randomly selected from a large pool, N = 1260), each with either no warning label, a textual warning, or a pictorial warning (text and picture), and with either five comments (pro- or anti-cannabis in valence) or none. Results showed that among adolescents, pro-cannabis comments increased product appeal (vs. anti-cannabis comments: b = 0.18, p = .025; vs. no comments: b = 0.21, p = .021), and did so more than young adults. For adolescents, only pictorial warnings reduced product appeal (b = -0.20, p = .028). For young adults, both pictorial (b = -0.18, p = .002) and textual warnings (b = -0.12, p = .029) reduced product appeal. Furthermore, both textual (adolescents: b = -0.20, p = .004; young adults: b = -0.15, p = .005) and pictorial (adolescents: b = -0.30, p < .001; young adults: b = -0.18, p = .001) warnings reduced cannabis use intentions. Findings support requiring enhanced CWLs accompany online marketing ads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijia Yang
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America.
| | - Lynne M Cotter
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Linqi Lu
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Lauren A Kriss
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America; UT Center for Health Communication, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - Matt Minich
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Jiaying Liu
- Department of Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America
| | - Lynn D Silver
- Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, United States of America
| | - Christopher N Cascio
- School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States of America
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Kostygina G, Kim Y, Gebhardt Z, Tran H, Norris A, Page S, Borowiecki M, Rose SW, Emery S. Using Exogenous Social Media Exposure Measures to Assess the Effects of Smokeless Tobacco-Related Social Media Content on Smokeless Tobacco Sales in the United States. Nicotine Tob Res 2024; 26:S49-S56. [PMID: 38366341 PMCID: PMC10873503 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntad169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Prior research on the effects of social media promotion of tobacco products has predominantly relied on survey-based self-report measures of marketing exposure, which potentially introduce endogeneity, recall, and selection biases. New approaches can enhance measurement and help better understand the effects of exposure to tobacco-related messages in a dynamic social media marketing environment. We used geolocation-specific tweet rate as an exogenous indicator of exposure to smokeless tobacco (ST)-related content and employed this measure to examine the influence of social media marketing on ST sales. AIMS AND METHODS Autoregressive error models were used to analyze the association between the ST-relevant tweet rate (aggregated by 4-week period from February 12, 2017 to June 26, 2021 and scaled by population density) and logarithmic ST unit sales across time by product type (newer, snus, conventional) in the United States, accounting for autocorrelated errors. Interrupted time series approach was used to control for policy change effects. RESULTS ST product category-related tweet rates were associated with ST unit sales of newer and conventional products, controlling for price, relevant policy events, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. On average, 100-unit increase in the number of newer ST-related tweets was associated with 14% increase in unit sales (RR = 1.14; p = .01); 100-unit increase in conventional ST tweets was associated with ~1% increase in unit sales (p = .04). Average price was negatively associated with the unit sales. CONCLUSIONS Study findings reveal that ST social media tweet rate was related to increased ST consumption and illustrate the utility of exogenous measures in conceptualizing and assessing effects in the complex media environment. IMPLICATIONS Tobacco control initiatives should include efforts to monitor the role of social media in promoting tobacco use. Surveillance of social media platforms is critical to monitor emerging tobacco product-related marketing strategies and promotional content reach. Exogenous measures of potential exposure to social media messages can supplement survey data to study media effects on tobacco consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganna Kostygina
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yoonsang Kim
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Zachary Gebhardt
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Hy Tran
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Andrew Norris
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Simon Page
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mateusz Borowiecki
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Shyanika W Rose
- Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Sherry Emery
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Kostygina G, Kim Y, Seeskin Z, LeClere F, Emery S. Disclosure Standards for Social Media and Generative Artificial Intelligence Research: Toward Transparency and Replicability. SOCIAL MEDIA + SOCIETY 2023; 9:10.1177/20563051231216947. [PMID: 38239338 PMCID: PMC10795517 DOI: 10.1177/20563051231216947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Social media dominate today's information ecosystem and provide valuable information for social research. Market researchers, social scientists, policymakers, government entities, public health researchers, and practitioners recognize the potential for social data to inspire innovation, support products and services, characterize public opinion, and guide decisions. The appeal of mining these rich datasets is clear. However, there is potential risk of data misuse, underscoring an equally huge and fundamental flaw in the research: there are no procedural standards and little transparency. Transparency across the processes of collecting and analyzing social media data is often limited due to proprietary algorithms. Spurious findings and biases introduced by artificial intelligence (AI) demonstrate the challenges this lack of transparency poses for research. Social media research remains a virtual "wild west," with no clear standards for reporting regarding data retrieval, preprocessing steps, analytic methods, or interpretation. Use of emerging generative AI technologies to augment social media analytics can undermine validity and replicability of findings, potentially turning this research into a "black box" enterprise. Clear guidance for social media analyses and reporting is needed to assure the quality of the resulting research. In this article, we propose criteria for evaluating the quality of studies using social media data, grounded in established scientific practice. We offer clear documentation guidelines to ensure that social data are used properly and transparently in research and applications. A checklist of disclosure elements to meet minimal reporting standards is proposed. These criteria will make it possible for scholars and practitioners to assess the quality, credibility, and comparability of research findings using digital data.
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Vanherle R, Geber S, Beullens K. The Effects of Alcohol-Related Social Media Content on Adolescents' Momentary Perceived Norms, Attitudes, and Drinking Intentions. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023:1-19. [PMID: 37743628 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2259696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Research has shown that exposure to alcohol posts on social media can shape adolescents' alcohol-related normative perceptions and attitudes, which in turn play a role in their drinking intentions. However, these studies focused on content in general, neglecting the variety of alcohol posts on social media. Furthermore, they were mostly cross-sectional and studied behaviors at one-time point, thus not considering within-person/daily (co-)fluctuations in exposure to alcohol posts and drinking cognitions. Therefore, this daily diary study among 275 Belgian adolescents (Mage = 15.83, SD = .88, 56.2% girls, 43% boys, 1 X) adds to the literature by examining how two types of alcohol posts (i.e. alcohol-focused vs. friend-focused) differently predict adolescents' normative perceptions (i.e. descriptive and injunctive), alcohol-related attitudes and intentions to drink, both on the between- and daily within-levels. The results showed that alcohol-focused posts but not friend-focused posts predicted adolescents' drinking cognitions (i.e. injunctive norms, descriptive norms, and attitudes) on the daily within-level. Descriptive norms and attitudes also predicted the intention to drink, on the between and daily within-level for attitudes but only on the daily within-level for norms. Overall, the results highlight that specific types of alcohol posts differently shape adolescents' daily drinking cognitions, thereby informing future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn Vanherle
- KU Leuven, Faculty of Social Sciences, School for Mass Communication Research
- KU Leuven, Child and Youth Institute; KU Leuven
| | - Sarah Geber
- Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich
| | - Kathleen Beullens
- KU Leuven, Faculty of Social Sciences, School for Mass Communication Research
- KU Leuven, Child and Youth Institute; KU Leuven
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Lee SJ, Lee CJ, Hwang H. The impact of COVID-19 misinformation and trust in institutions on preventive behaviors. HEALTH EDUCATION RESEARCH 2023; 38:95-105. [PMID: 36564938 DOI: 10.1093/her/cyac038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Misinformation related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has the potential to suppress preventive behaviors that mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Early research on the behavioral consequences of COVID-19 misinformation is mixed, and most rely on cross-sectional data. We examined whether believing in COVID-19 misinformation at one time point influences engaging in preventive behaviors later. In addition, we investigated the role of trust in institutions. We conducted a two-wave survey in South Korea and examined the association between belief in COVID-19 misinformation at Wave 1 and preventive behaviors at Wave 2 controlling for preventive behaviors at Wave 1. We also analyzed whether there is an interaction between belief in COVID-19 misinformation and trust in institutions. Belief in COVID-19 misinformation at Wave 1 significantly increased avoidance of preventive behaviors at Wave 2, but after accounting for trust in institutions, this effect disappeared. Rather, trust in institutions significantly decreased avoidance of preventive behaviors. In addition, misinformation increased avoidance of preventive behaviors among those who trusted institutions the most. Results suggest that building trust in institutions is essential in promoting COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Belief in COVID-19 misinformation may have harmful effects, but these effects were pronounced for those who highly trust institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella Juhyun Lee
- Department of Media and Communication, Konkuk University, 120, Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05029, South Korea
| | - Chul-Joo Lee
- Department of Communication, Seoul National University, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
| | - Hyunjung Hwang
- Department of Broadcasting Regulation Research, Korea Information Society Development Institute, 1, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea
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Hornik R, Binns S, Emery S, Epstein VM, Jeong M, Kim K, Kim Y, Kranzler EC, Jesch E, Lee SJ, Levin AV, Liu J, O’Donnell MB, Siegel L, Tran H, Williams S, Yang Q, Gibson LA. The Effects of Tobacco Coverage in the Public Communication Environment on Young People's Decisions to Smoke Combustible Cigarettes. THE JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION 2022; 72:187-213. [PMID: 35386823 PMCID: PMC8974361 DOI: 10.1093/joc/jqab052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In today's complex media environment, does media coverage influence youth and young adults' (YYA) tobacco use and intentions? We conceptualize the "public communication environment" and effect mediators, then ask whether over time variation in exogenously measured tobacco media coverage from mass and social media sources predicts daily YYA cigarette smoking intentions measured in a rolling nationally representative phone survey (N = 11,847 on 1,147 days between May 2014 and June 2017). Past week anti-tobacco and pro-tobacco content from Twitter, newspapers, broadcast news, Associated Press, and web blogs made coherent scales (thetas = 0.77 and 0.79). Opportunities for exposure to anti-tobacco content in the past week predicted lower intentions to smoke (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.95, p < .05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.91-1.00). The effect was stronger among current smokers than among nonsmokers (interaction OR = 0.88, p < .05, 95% CI = 0.77-1.00). These findings support specific effects of anti-tobacco media coverage and illustrate a productive general approach to conceptualizing and assessing effects in the complex media environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steven Binns
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC-University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Sherry Emery
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC-University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | - Michelle Jeong
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy, Rutgers University School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Kwanho Kim
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Communication, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Yoonsang Kim
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC-University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Elissa C Kranzler
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Fors Marsh Group, Arlington, VA 22201, USA
| | - Emma Jesch
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Stella Juhyun Lee
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Media and Communication, Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Allyson V Levin
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Communication, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085. USA
| | - Jiaying Liu
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Communication Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Matthew B O’Donnell
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Leeann Siegel
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Tobacco Control Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Hy Tran
- Social Data Collaboratory, NORC-University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Sharon Williams
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- School of Information, University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | - Qinghua Yang
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Communication Studies, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA
| | - Laura A Gibson
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA 19104, USA
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Chung M, Jang Y, Knight Lapinski M, Kerr JM, Zhao J, Shupp R, Peng TQ. I do, therefore i think it is normal: the causal effects of behavior on descriptive norm formation and evolution. SOCIAL INFLUENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15534510.2022.2052955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Minwoong Chung
- Department of Communicology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Youjin Jang
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Maria Knight Lapinski
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
- Michigan AgBio Research, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - John M. Kerr
- Department of Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Jinhua Zhao
- Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Robert Shupp
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Tai-Quan Peng
- Department of Communication, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Liu J, Lochbuehler K, Yang Q, Gibson LA, Hornik RC. Breadth of Media Scanning Leads to Vaping among Youth and Young Adults: Evidence of Direct and Indirect Pathways from a National Longitudinal Survey. JOURNAL OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2020; 25:91-104. [PMID: 31900063 PMCID: PMC7138723 DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2019.1709925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Electronic cigarette use among youth and young adults has reached an epidemic proportion of growth. This study examined the direct and indirect effects of the breadth of media scanning about e-cigarette use on subsequent vaping behavior through interpersonal communication and changes in descriptive norm perceptions. We conducted a nationally representative longitudinal phone survey of 13- to 25-year-olds from June 2014 to March 2017, with 11,013 respondents who completed a baseline survey, among which 3,212 completed a follow-up 6 months later. The results from both cross-sectional and lagged analyses provided robust evidence to suggest that passive routine exposure to e-cigarette use content from more media outlets predicted increased likelihood of vaping among youth and young adults. High scanners were about twice as likely to vape as non-scanners (17% versus 9%). Mediation models using bootstrapping procedures found that breadth of scanning predicted higher descriptive norm perceptions which were associated with subsequent vaping; in addition, interpersonal communication mediated the relationship between breadth of scanning and changes in descriptive norm perceptions. These findings highlight the important roles of scanning, norm perceptions and interpersonal discussions in shaping cognition and behavior changes. The results also suggest an overall pro-e-cigarette public communication environment, which warrants further examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Liu
- Department of Communication Studies, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
| | | | - Qinghua Yang
- Department of Communication Studies, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
| | - Laura A. Gibson
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Robert C. Hornik
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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