Roughly 56% of college students reported past 30-day alcohol use, while 24% reported binge drinking in a recent study. Along with alcohol use comes many negative consequences, such as missed classes, driving under the influence, and much more. Peer alcohol use can be a predictor of college drinking. Not only do in-person encounters form peer alcohol perceptions but so do alcohol-related content (ARC) that is shared on social media. This study aims to (1) investigate whether the perceived frequency of exposure to ARC shared by social network members on social media is associated with participants’ alcohol use and (2) to examine whether participants’ gender and relationship qualities with network members’ ARC sharing and participant alcohol use.
This study consists of 994 participants; all participants were members of the class of 2021 at a university in the northeastern United States. Data collection took place from Fall 2019 to Fall 2021. Demographics such as age, gender identity, sex assigned at birth, race, and ethnicity were measured. Social network relationship quality variables, alcohol use, participant social media use, ARC sharing, and exposure to ARC were also measured. Of the 994 participants, approximately 85.3% had one or more alcoholic beverages in the past month, and among those drinkers, the average number of drinks per occasion was 2.31.
The results of this study showed that a greater perceived frequency of exposure to ARC was associated with participant alcohol consumption and above participant frequency of sharing ARC and network members’ self-report of their drinking, which means that individuals with a higher incidence of ARC were found to exhibit an elevated likelihood of engaging in alcohol use. Research on the effects of social media and ARC is limited, making this study a significant contribution to the literature. Looking at ARC and social media and incorporating it into the discussion when implementing alcohol interventions for college students could be very valuable.
Takeaway: This study suggested that individuals with a higher incidence of ARC were found to exhibit an elevated likelihood of engaging in alcohol use.