Towards Data-Driven Science Literacy: Extracting Psycholinguistic Markers in Vaping-Related Online Peer Interactions.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Media Analysis
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Social media platforms host extensive debates on e-cigarettes, contributing to public health concerns.
• Evolving scientific evidence and inconsistent public health guidelines complicate e-cigarette discourse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze user-generated content on social media regarding vaping.
• To identify key themes and psycholinguistic characteristics in e-cigarette discussions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 25,127 vaping-related social media comments.
• Topic modeling to identify 25 distinct vaping-related themes.
• Categorization into three parent topics: positive effects, negative effects, and news/information.

Main Results:

• Identified 25 topics related to vaping, categorized into positive effects, negative effects, and news/information.
• Observed significant differences in psycholinguistic features between topic groups.
• High levels of emotional expression were noted in discussions of both positive and negative e-cigarette effects.

Conclusions:

• User discussions on e-cigarettes are emotionally charged and cover diverse topics.
• Findings can inform strategies to enhance science literacy and counter misinformation about vaping.
• Public health interventions can leverage social media insights to address vaping-related concerns.