Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Nicotine Tob Res. 2021 Oct 7;23(11):1962-1966. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab099.
Although e-cigarette marketing on social media increases positive attitudes and experimentation, little is known about non-influencer e-cigarette portrayals of young people.
High school adolescents (n = 928, 15-18) were recruited by Lightspeed Health for an online experiment and randomized to view an Instagram post with or without e-cigarette use. Outcomes were positive and negative perceptions (prototypes), social distance, and willingness to use.
Half (50%) of participants were susceptible to e-cigarette use. E-cigarettes shown (vs. not) led to less positive prototypes, p = .017, more negative prototypes, p = .004, and more social distance, p < .001. Negative prototypes and social distance were moderated by susceptibility (both p < .05); effects among non-susceptible adolescents only. Showing e-cigarettes did not impact willingness to use if offered.
Negative perceptions of e-cigarettes use challenge assumptions that vaping online is universally admirable. Highlighting unfavorable opinions of vaping or negative impacts for adolescents' social image are potential strategies for tobacco counter-marketing.
Despite daily use of visual-based social media by most adolescents, little is known about the influence of e-cigarette use among young people online. Adolescent negative perceptions and desired distance from non-influencers using e-cigarettes on Instagram indicate digital e-cigarette portrayals are not universally accepted. Negative impacts for adolescents' social image present a counter-marketing strategy.
尽管电子烟在社交媒体上的营销活动增加了人们对其的正面态度和尝试意愿，但对于非网红的年轻人电子烟形象却知之甚少。
通过 Lightspeed Health，招募了 928 名高中生（15-18 岁）参与在线实验，并将他们随机分配观看带有或不带有电子烟使用的 Instagram 帖子。结果是对电子烟的正面和负面看法（原型）、社会距离和使用意愿。
有一半（50%）的参与者容易受到电子烟使用的影响。与不展示电子烟相比，展示电子烟会导致更负面的原型，p =.017，更负面的原型，p =.004，以及更大的社会距离，p <.001。负面原型和社会距离受到易感性的调节（两者均 p <.05）；仅在不易感性的青少年中存在影响。如果提供电子烟，展示电子烟不会影响使用意愿。
对电子烟使用的负面看法挑战了这样一种假设，即网上吸电子烟是普遍值得赞赏的。强调青少年对吸电子烟的不利看法或对其社交形象的负面影响，可能是烟草反营销的一种策略。
尽管大多数青少年每天都在使用基于视觉的社交媒体，但对于年轻人在网上使用电子烟的影响却知之甚少。青少年对非网红在 Instagram 上使用电子烟的负面看法和希望与他们保持距离，表明数字电子烟形象并不被普遍接受。青少年社交形象的负面影响为反营销提供了一种策略。
