Investigating Substance Use via Reddit: Systematic Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Digital Health

Background:

• Reddit's large user base, anonymity, and diverse communities offer unique opportunities for substance use research.
• Despite growing literature, a systematic review on utilizing Reddit for substance use data is lacking.
• Challenges and limitations of using Reddit for research require careful consideration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the use of Reddit in substance use research.
• To examine objectives, methodologies, reasons, and limitations of studies using Reddit data.
• To identify contributions, implications, and research gaps in this field.

Main Methods:

• A systematic scoping review was conducted, searching 7 databases for English-language, peer-reviewed articles.
• Keywords included 'Reddit' and substance-related terms; 60 articles met eligibility criteria after screening.
• Qualitative content analysis was performed using a developed codebook to extract relevant evidence.

Main Results:

• Substance use research on Reddit has significantly increased since 2015, with a notable rise in 2021.
• The primary use of Reddit data (87% of studies) was to identify substance use patterns and discussion trends.
• Key reasons for using Reddit include anonymity and popularity, while limitations involve representativeness and demographic data scarcity.

Conclusions:

• Reddit serves as a valuable data source for understanding substance use patterns and user experiences.
• Acknowledging and addressing the limitations of Reddit data is crucial for robust research.
• This review identifies literature gaps and suggests future research directions in substance use research on Reddit.