Increasing Substance Misuse Rates: Social Media's Role
Major
Public Health
Access Type
Restricted Access
Abstract
The current public health infrastructure within this nation relies heavily on the dissemination of information through online platforms. Online platforms, such as various social media sites, also have the potential to spread messages and trends that are harmful to this nation’s public health. The presence of substance misuse prevention messaging is countered by favorable attitudes spread by social media users and corporations. The lack of the perception of harm regarding the use of smoking, or the practice of “vaping”, outweighs the substance misuse prevention messaging present online. In this study, we discuss the impact of social media websites, such as Snapchat, on substance use rates. Reviewed studies were selected due to diversity in locations across the United States, and the ages of substance misusers. This review also explores potential areas for improvement in identifying substance misuse trends and interventions that can be disseminated through online platforms.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Increasing Substance Misuse Rates: Social Media's Role
The current public health infrastructure within this nation relies heavily on the dissemination of information through online platforms. Online platforms, such as various social media sites, also have the potential to spread messages and trends that are harmful to this nation’s public health. The presence of substance misuse prevention messaging is countered by favorable attitudes spread by social media users and corporations. The lack of the perception of harm regarding the use of smoking, or the practice of “vaping”, outweighs the substance misuse prevention messaging present online. In this study, we discuss the impact of social media websites, such as Snapchat, on substance use rates. Reviewed studies were selected due to diversity in locations across the United States, and the ages of substance misusers. This review also explores potential areas for improvement in identifying substance misuse trends and interventions that can be disseminated through online platforms.