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Waterpipe Promotion and Use on Instagram: #Hookah
Jon-Patrick Allem1, Kar-Hai Chu1, Tess Boley Cruz1
1Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
Summary
Waterpipe (hookah) use is increasingly popular, often depicted with alcohol on Instagram. This social media platform is underutilized for understanding tobacco behaviors and promotions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Social Media Analysis
- Tobacco Control
Background:
- Waterpipe (hookah) use is a growing public health concern globally.
- Novel data streams are needed to understand the social and environmental context of waterpipe use and marketing.
- Instagram is a relevant platform for studying emerging tobacco product behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize waterpipe-related posts on Instagram within the United States.
- To inform regulatory and policy activities related to waterpipe use.
- To analyze the social and environmental context of waterpipe use as depicted on social media.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from Instagram using the hashtag "#hookah".
- Included posts with geo-location metadata within the contiguous United States.
- 1705 images were coded for various themes and content.
Main Results:
- Waterpipe use was frequently depicted with alcohol (31%) and in social settings like hookah lounges (30%) and bars/nightclubs (56%).
- Promotional material for hookah lounges and venues referencing hookah was common (18%).
- Users often showcased customized waterpipes, indicating pride in ownership.
Conclusions:
- Instagram posts normalize waterpipe and alcohol co-use in nightlife settings.
- The visual nature of Instagram facilitates cross-promotion of waterpipe and alcohol specials.
- Instagram is an underutilized resource for tobacco-related behavior and promotional material research.