Dissertation
A multiple case study of geotagged Instagram posts about vaping
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000822
Abstract
Geotagged Instagram posts about e-cigarettes are as yet an unregulated source of exposure to advertisements and other content that promote e-cigarette products and use. Despite an emerging consensus that social media posts about e-cigarettes influence attitudes and behaviors, it is unknown which specific communities (e.g., location, socio-demographics) are most likely to be exposed to e-cigarette social media content. We therefore conducted a mixed methods multiple case study to understand how the geospatial distribution of electronic vaping-related Instagram posts is associated with sociodemographic and other place-based population attributes. In 2018, publicly available Instagram posts about vaping were collected and analyzed from three geographic case studies: 1) City of Philadelphia; 2) State of Hawai'i; and 3) US States plus DC and Puerto Rico. Four research methods were integrated across the three case studies, including content analysis, regression modelling, network analysis, and geospatial analysis. We found that electronic cigarettes were rarely identified as tobacco products containing nicotine. Cannabis products were commonly promoted for use with vape devices. Across the US, we found correlations between geotagged content on Instagram and place-based social determinants of health like race, gender, education, income, and poverty. State policies and tobacco use behaviors were strong predictors of e-cigarette related posts. We highlight potential implications of exposure to pro-vaping content and recommend actionable insights for policy and prevention mechanisms that restrict social media promotional efforts for e-cigarette products at the local level, state level, and national level.
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Details
- Title
- A multiple case study of geotagged Instagram posts about vaping
- Creators
- Matthew David Kearney
- Contributors
- Philip Massey (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 233 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Dana and David Dornsife School of Public Health; Community Health and Prevention; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991015242080104721