Posting alcohol-related content (ARC) on social networking sites (SNSs) is common among college students and may contribute to problematic drinking by normalizing drinking behaviors. One potential explanation for this is the Social Impact Theory which suggests that ARC posted on SNSs influences the thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes of individuals. ARC on SNSs impacts the behaviors others through the creation of ARC and through the sharing of others’ messages. This study compares attributes of college students who drinking and post ARC (posters) and college students who drink and engage on SNSs but elect not to post ARC (non-posters).
The study’s sample consisted of 1,063 college students from two mid-sized public universities. Participants were asked to report which social media platforms they used, how often they interacted with those accounts, how many followers they had on each platform, if they posted ARC on those accounts, and reasons why they do not post ARC. Participants were also asked about alcohol consumption during the past 30 days, drinking motives, and problem drinking. The College Life Alcohol Salience Scale (CLASS) was used to assess beliefs surrounding alcohol consumption and the college experience and the Self-Monitoring scale was used to assess the way individuals present themselves in social situations. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and Cronbach’s alpha.
Results of the data analysis showed that 44% of participants did not post ARC on SNSs. The most common social media platform for posting ARC was Snapchat. ARC posters had more followers than non-posters on Facebook and Instagram but there was no difference in followers noted on Snapchat. Non-posters posted, saw, and shared fewer SNS posts that referred to consequences of alcohol consumption. Non-posters also consumed less alcohol, drank less often, reported fewer alcohol-related problems, and lower levels of drinking motives than posters. Lastly, results of the CLASS showed that alcohol was less central to non-posters college experience.
Takeaway: Posting alcohol-related content on social media may impact alcohol consumption behaviors and related consequences among college students.