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"Cloud chasers" and "substitutes": e-cigarettes, vaping subcultures and vaper identities.
1Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Sociology of Health & Illness
|January 25, 2019
Summary
Vaping subcultures exist, with distinct identities: "cloud chasers" embrace vaping culture, while "substitutes" use e-cigarettes pragmatically for smoking cessation, often lacking a vaper identity.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Consumer Behavior
Background:
- E-cigarette use, or vaping, is increasing globally.
- Understanding user motivations and identities is crucial for public health.
- Sociological theories of stigma and subcultures offer frameworks for analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore user motives, self-identity, and subcultural involvement among Norwegian vapers.
- To identify dominant vaper identities and their relationship to vaping subcultures.
- To analyze the symbolic meanings associated with e-cigarette use.
Main Methods:
- Semi-structured interviews with 30 Norwegian vapers.
- Qualitative analysis drawing on sociological theories.
- Exploration of user motives, identity, and subcultural engagement.
Main Results:
- A distinct vaping subculture exists in Norway.
- Two dominant vaper identities identified: 'cloud chasers' and 'substitutes'.
- 'Cloud chasers' identify with the subculture, while 'substitutes' use vaping pragmatically for cessation and stigma avoidance, often lacking vaper identity.
Conclusions:
- Vaping involves complex social dynamics and identity formation.
- Vaper identities are shaped by motivations, subcultural involvement, and perceptions of stigma.
- E-cigarettes hold varied symbolic meanings, from pleasure and community to escaping smoker stigma.