scholarly journals “Roll with us”: Instagram Images of Backwoods Cigarillo Blunts (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Kim ◽  
Alia Mourali ◽  
Jon-Patrick Allem ◽  
Jennifer B Unger ◽  
Tess Boley Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Flavor Preference ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Product Features ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Monitoring And Surveillance ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Coded Images

BACKGROUND Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms among youth, offers a unique opportunity to examine blunts—partially or fully hollowed out large cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos that are filled with marijuana. Cigarillo brands like Backwoods (Imperial Tobacco Group Brands LLC) have product features that facilitate blunt-making, including a variety of brand-specific flavors that enhance the smoking experience (e.g., honey, dark stout). Backwoods has a growing online presence with a user-friendly website and an active Instagram account with over 30,000 followers. OBJECTIVE The present study examined the extent to which Backwoods cigarillo-related posts to Instagram showed blunt-making. Instagram offers a unique opportunity to examine blunt-making as Instagram accounts will contain images reflective of organic behavior occurring without the prime of a researcher. METHODS Inclusion criteria for this study included an Instagram post with the hashtag “#backwoods”. Rules were established to content analyze posts. Categories included Type of post (i.e., photo or video or both); Blunt-related hashtags (i.e., the corresponding caption to the post contained hashtag(s) like #blunts, #cannabis, #weed that were identified in previous social media research); Rolling blunts (i.e., the post contained an image of an individual(s) rolling a Backwoods cigarillo visibly containing marijuana); Smoking blunts (i.e., the post contained an image of an individual(s) blowing smoke or holding a lit blunt. We coded images for Flavor reference, where a code of 1 showed a Backwoods cigarillo pack with a brand-specific flavor (e.g., honey, dark stout, Russian crème) visible in the blunt-related image and a code of 0 indicated that it was not visible anywhere in the image. RESULTS Among all posts (n = 1,206), 871 (72.2%) were Blunt-related hashtags. A total of 125 (10.4%) images were coded Smoking blunts and 25 (2.1%) were coded Rolling blunts (i.e., Backwoods cigarillo explicitly used to roll blunts. Among blunt images, 434/843 (51.5%) were coded Flavor (i.e., a Backwoods pack with a brand-specific flavor was visible). CONCLUSIONS Most Backwoods cigarillo-related Instagram images were blunt-related and these blunt-related images showed Backwoods packages indicating flavor preference. Continued monitoring and surveillance of blunt-related posts on Instagram is needed to inform policies and interventions that reduce the risk that youth may experiment with blunts. Specific policies could include restrictions on product features (e.g., flavors, perforated lines, attractive resealable foil pouches, sold as singles) that facilitate blunt-making. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

scholarly journals How changing API terms changed Instagram's domain? A bibliometric analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Hartman ◽  
Tereza Simova
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Application Programming ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research

In 2018 Facebook blocked a public Application Programming Interfaces (API) that could be used to download data from Facebook and Instagram. Much uncertainty still exists about the effect on social media research due to changes in Instagram API conditions. The presented paper provides an overview of the Instagram domain in terms of a research area. The main focus of this research is on the comparison of the key topics before and after the change of the Instagram API terms (comparing Instagram's research domain before and after 2018). A partial goal was to find out how the change in the conditions of the Instagram API has changed the number of social media research itself. We used a bibliometric approach to map the domain of Instagram. The paper has identified key topics in the domain of Instagram. Between the years 2010 and 2018 the key topics were gender, behavior on social media, dissemination of information, and platform selection. After the change of Instagram API conditions, after 2018, the key topics were gratifications, body image, dissatisfaction, and basic Instagram topics. The paper has found that generally, there was no change in research topics, nor the number of papers published after the Instagram API condition. Further study should focus on establish the relationships between Instagram use and psychological well-being; investigate the motives for Instagram use a study the effect of Instagram API on research with the use of different methods; gaining a better understanding of social media consumer activity; establish whatever our key topics are relevant to other social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter or Tiktok); study Instagram domain on different citation databases (e.g., in Scopus). This paper has also raised important questions about whether the Instagram API should be or should not be open for research purposes.

scholarly journals Social Media Research Network: Social Media Toolkit

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akash Shroff ◽  
Chantelle A Roulston ◽  
Marian Ruiz ◽  
Sharon Chen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
The Social ◽  
Large Audience ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research ◽  
Social Media Presence

The Social Media Research Network was co-founded by Chantelle Roulston and Akash Shroff in August 2021 with the support of Dr. Jessica Schleider and the Lab for Scalable Mental Health (LSMH). Since 2018, LSMH has been recruiting adolescents and parents using social media—primarily Facebook and Instagram. As of September 2021, our social media presence has reached 1.4 million people across the world. More than 35,000 individuals have interacted with our posts and messages and more than 6,000 youth, young adults, and parents have completed our single-session interventions. We wanted to share our current success and improve our processes by forming a collaboration of psychology/adolescent development research labs.The SMRN Social Media Toolkit is designed to consolidate social media experiences and suggestions from various labs into a useful document for others to use. This is by no means an exhaustive list of social media platforms and suggestions. We have limited the toolkit to include the use of Facebook and Instagram, owned and trademarked by Meta Platforms, Inc.. Instagram and Facebook encompass a very large audience (diverse in age, location, and race/ethnicity). The platforms have a lot of overlap and have been successful in research efforts for the authors. This toolkit outlines broad concepts of branding, post design, and post management. It also provides details, suggestions, and tips on how to create an account, gain a following, increase engagement, and more on both Facebook and Instagram. . Lastly, it details the process of using paid Facebook and Instagram advertisements for research purposes (i.e., recruiting participants).The ultimate goal of SMRN is to increase collaboration across research groups so that we can leverage the entire network’s social media presence to improve recruitment, science communication, and outreach efforts for all research groups involved. We hope this document will serve as a preliminary guide for the research groups within the network.

Evaluating Social Media

2018 ◽  
pp. 293-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahizan Hassan ◽  
Norshuhada Shiratuddin ◽  
Nor Laily Hashim ◽  
Feng Li
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Media Influence ◽  
Widespread Adoption ◽  
Activity Generation ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research

Despite the widespread adoption and popularity of social media, research on measuring the quantifiable impact of popular social media platforms remains scarce. To this end, this study attempts to investigate how the influence of social media can be assessed in quantitative terms. The main objective is to develop a new assessment model able to integrate a broad range of criteria such as likes, subscribers, comments, posts, shares, and links. The authors extend previous assessment models focused on individual platforms such as blogs and propose a Social Media Influence Assessment model (SMIA). The process of model development—criteria, dimensions, and formula—and its validation are discussed. The results indicate that social media's influence can be measured in a structured, quantifiable manner by utilising a set of nine criteria grouped into three dimensions: recognition, activity generation, and credibility.

scholarly journals At close quarters: Combatting Facebook design, features and temporalities in social research

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 205395171880231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justine Gangneux ◽  
Stevie Docherty
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The Other ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research

As researchers we often find ourselves grappling with social media platforms and data ‘at close quarters’. Although social media platforms were created for purposes other than academic research – which are apparent in their architecture and temporalities – they offer opportunities for researchers to repurpose them for the collection, generation and analysis of rich datasets. At the same time, this repurposing raises an evolving range of practical and methodological challenges at the small and large scale. We draw on our experiences and empirical data from two research projects, one using Facebook Community Pages and the other repurposing Facebook Activity Logs. This article reflects critically on the specific challenges we faced using these platform features, on their common roots, and the tactics we adopted in response. De Certeau’s distinction between strategy and tactics provides a useful framework for exploring these struggles as located in the practice of doing social research – which often ends up being tactical. This article argues that we have to collectively discuss, demystify and devise tactics to mitigate the strategies and temporalities deeply embedded in platforms, corresponding as far as possible to the temporalities and the aims of our research. Although combat at close quarters is inevitable in social media research, dialogue between researchers is more than ever needed to tip the scales in our favour.

Trying to understand social media users and usage

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Weller
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Approaches To Study ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper from the series “Monitoring the Media: Spotlight on Social Media Research” is to look into different approaches to study uses of social media platforms – from user statistics to motivations for using specific features within a platform. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a literature review some general findings on social media usage are summarized alongside with examples of user activities that are rarely studied. Findings – The paper concludes that social media research has neglected to question the use of more recent features in social media platforms, such as Twitter favorites or Facebook hashtags, as well as the more “destructive” activities in social networking such as unfollowing. Originality/value – The paper draws attention to some features of popular social media platforms which are currently understudied. It raises awareness for these specific gaps in social media research and could inspire future studies to close the gap.

scholarly journals Queer considerations: Exploring the use of social media for research recruitment within LGBTQ communities

2021 ◽  
pp. 174701612110030
Author(s):  
Catherine Littler ◽  
Phillip Joy
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Ethical Research ◽  
Research Recruitment ◽  
Diverse Communities ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research ◽  
Use Of Social Media

The use of social media platforms (such as Facebook) for research recruitment has continued to increase, especially during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Social media enables researchers to reach diverse communities that often do not have their voices heard in research. Social media research recruitment, however, can pose risks to both potential participants and the researchers. This topic paper presents ethical considerations related to social media recruitment, and offers an example of harassment and hate speech risks when social media is used for research recruitment. We explore the implications of hate speech risks for ethical research.

scholarly journals MEDIATED DEATH AND DIGITAL MARTYRDOM: ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR VISUAL SOCIAL MEDIA RESEARCHERS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Marie Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Digital Activism ◽  
Critical Thought ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research

The digital mediation of visual content depicting death and martyrdom as a trope of resistance and contestation is increasingly employed within social media platforms by transnational activist cultures and popular social movements. I refer to this phenomenon as ‘digital martyrdom’. The emergence of digital martyrdom, and its memetic circulation within visual social media platforms, points to the materialisation of a new, affective and ritualised protest dynamic. Through which posthumous visuals become diffused, reappropriated and politicised within global publics. This raises new ethical implications and moral dilemmas for digital and visual social media researchers, and requires more reflexive and critical thought beyond established ethical considerations. Necessarily, this paper raises ethical questions and provocations for digital and visual social media researchers in relation to the design, collection, presentation and publishing of academic work in the context of death and posthumous imagery online. The questions presented in this paper have emerged out of a systematic study of this phenomenon, with a particular focus on case studies drawn from the Middle East, the United States and Europe. This paper argues that digital and visual social media research in this field merits specific ethical considerations and amplified scholarly deliberation. This is of particular importance for visual social media research that extends beyond a Western context and considers the cross-cultural, transnational dimensions of digital activism.

scholarly journals Crisis Management in the Tourism Industry-The Role of Social Media Platforms

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose K Antony ◽  
Joel M Jacob
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Crisis Management ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Current State ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research ◽  
State Of Affairs

The tourism industry is highly susceptible to various forms of risks operating in the industry that occur and go unattended over a period of time. Social media could be effectively used to address the risks. Studies, however, on social media and its role in crisis management are few in spite of a consistent e mphasis on the importance of social media in the tourism industry, specifically, its role in crisis management. This paper provides a review of the current state of affairs and provides a framework to involve social media research in crisis management in tourism.

scholarly journals Deplatforming: Following extreme Internet celebrities to Telegram and alternative social media

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Free Speech ◽  
Media Ecology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Media Companies ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research

Extreme, anti-establishment actors are being characterized increasingly as ‘dangerous individuals’ by the social media platforms that once aided in making them into ‘Internet celebrities’. These individuals (and sometimes groups) are being ‘deplatformed’ by the leading social media companies such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube for such offences as ‘organised hate’. Deplatforming has prompted debate about ‘liberal big tech’ silencing free speech and taking on the role of editors, but also about the questions of whether it is effective and for whom. The research reported here follows certain of these Internet celebrities to Telegram as well as to a larger alternative social media ecology. It enquires empirically into some of the arguments made concerning whether deplatforming ‘works’ and how the deplatformed use Telegram. It discusses the effects of deplatforming for extreme Internet celebrities, alternative and mainstream social media platforms and the Internet at large. It also touches upon how social media companies’ deplatforming is affecting critical social media research, both into the substance of extreme speech as well as its audiences on mainstream as well as alternative platforms.

scholarly journals What’s in a (pseudo)name? Ethical conundrums for the principles of anonymisation in social media research

2020 ◽  
pp. 146879412092207
Author(s):  
Ysabel Gerrard
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Ethics Review ◽  
Institutional Ethics ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Ethical Approval ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Research ◽  
Social Media Research ◽  
Identifiable Data

Scholars from wide-ranging disciplines are turning to social media platforms as research sites, and as platforms expand their communicative possibilities, they create more spaces for users to enact a multitude of identities. Most platforms allow users to have ‘pseudonymous’ identities; that is, they can engage in practices intended to facilitate nonidentifiable content. But pseudonymity presents a series of unique challenges to the principles of anonymisation in qualitative research. This article explores the slippery nature of dealing with pseudonymous social media users’ personally identifiable data during research, framed around my responses to four questions I was asked when I applied for ethical approval to conduct research with pseudonymous fan communities on social media. The four questions concern: (Q1) changing notions of ‘public’ and ‘private’ forms of data; (Q2) identifying underage and therefore vulnerable participants online; (Q3) changes to the processes of obtaining informed consent from social media users; and (Q4) the risks social media research might bring to those conducting it. This article concludes by calling for qualitative researchers and Ethics Review Boards (ERBs) to engage with institutional ethics review across the duration of a project, or at the very least to advocate for ongoing consent as research progresses, especially for (but certainly not limited to) research involving pseudonymous social media users. The article aims to be useful to other researchers facing similar dilemmas. Indeed, given the popularity of pseudonymity on social media and the growing penetration of platforms across global demographics, a need for ethical discussions of this kind is surely set to increase.

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