E-cigarettes and social media: attitudes and perceptions of young adults to social media messages

Electronic devices that deliver nicotine, e-cigarettes (e-cigs), pose significant risks and can be addictive. Young adults have the highest prevalence of e-cig usage and are among the most frequent users of social media. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently imposed restrictions on the promotion of flavors and messages that claim e-cigs are healthier than cigarettes, there are no regulations in the social media space. Our objective was to understand how exposure to e-cigs on social media might influence attitudes and perceptions towards e-cigs among young adults. Thirty-one 18-24 year olds participated in four focus groups in which they responded to examples of social media posts about e-cigs. A thematic analysis was conducted, which revealed three primary themes: (1) social media normalizes e-cigs, in which young adults stated that they are frequently exposed to e-cig content on social media through news organizations and interpersonal relationships; (2) visual appeals are influential, including how depictions of aspirational lifestyles and appealing flavor associations enticed participants; (3) constantly seeing e-cig related messages on social media may encourage trial. The promotion of e-cigs within social media platforms should be closely monitored, to prevent the current epidemic from reaching even larger proportions.