#BingeDrinking-Using Social Media to Understand College Binge Drinking: Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Digital Media Studies

Background:

• Hazardous drinking remains prevalent in college populations despite existing educational and intervention programs.
• Social media platforms are frequently used by college students to share content related to drinking episodes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine college student attitudes toward alcohol use by analyzing social media posts.
• To identify opportunities for reducing alcohol-related harm and developing new interventions.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative inductive coding based on grounded theory was used to analyze 1151 social media posts from 7 platforms.
• Posts were generated by students from a specific university, with platform selection and search terms developed in collaboration with undergraduates.
• Themes regarding student drinking culture, attitudes, and behaviors were derived from coded posts.

Main Results:

• Positive attitudes toward alcohol use were most common across analyzed social media posts, though valence varied by platform.
• Posts portraying drinking positively received positive peer feedback, indicating drinking is viewed as integral to university culture.
• Social media content offers a real-time view of student drinking behaviors and peer responses.

Conclusions:

• Social media content and peer interactions normalize heavy drinking within university student culture.
• Interventions should focus on real-time alcohol management, safety during use, and online privacy/reputation.
• Addressing positive attitudes and traditions surrounding student drinking requires broader interventions for students, alumni, and parents.