Disapproving But Invisible: College Student and Adult Views, Reasons, and Responses to On-Line Posts about Alcohol

Loreen Wolfer 1 *
More Detail
1 University of Scranton, USA
* Corresponding Author
Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp. 55-80. https://doi.org/10.12973/ojcmt/2354
OPEN ACCESS   2095 Views   1157 Downloads   Published online: 24 Apr 2018
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

Most research about alcohol on social media focuses on visible posts college students share, but not how others, including adults, view this information and what they do in response. An online survey of 572 students and 190 faculty/staff at a northeastern Pennsylvania university asked respondents to rate, explain, and react to two hypothetical Facebook posts about alcohol. One post was a bland statement of intoxication, while the other depicted the person as underage and mentioned vomiting. Findings reveal age similarities in the general views, reasons, and reactions to both posts. While more critical of the higher offense post, both students and adults felt that each post was generally inappropriate and their reasoning is similar. For the low offense post, respondents felt that it was socially unpopular and reflected poorly on the person; and, in the more offensive post, the illegal behavior was noted. However findings also reveal that both students and adults largely report that they would ignore or hide the post; therefore, the poster is not likely to see or be aware of the viewer’s disapproval. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.
Keywords: Facebook, alcohol, college students, adults

CITATION

Wolfer, L. (2018). Disapproving But Invisible: College Student and Adult Views, Reasons, and Responses to On-Line Posts about Alcohol. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 8(2), 55-80. https://doi.org/10.12973/ojcmt/2354

REFERENCES

  • Bazarova, N. (2012). Public intimacy: Disclosure interpretation and social judgments on Facebook. Journal of Communication, 62(5), 815-832.
  • Beullens, K., & Schepers, A. (2013). Display of alcohol use on Facebook: A content analysis. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(7), 497-503.
  • Birnbaum, M. G. (2013). The Fronts Students Use: Facebook and the Standardization of Self Presentations. Journal of College Student Development, 54(2), 155-171.
  • Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230.
  • Boyle, S. C., LaBrie, J. W., Froidevaux, N. M., & Witkovic, Y. D. (2016). Different digital paths to the keg? How exposure to peers' alcohol-related social media content influences drinking among male and female first-year college students. Addictive Behaviors, 57, 21-29.
  • Brandtzaeg, P. B., Lüders, M., & Skjetne, J. H. (2010). Too many Facebook ‘friends’? Content sharing and sociability versus the need for privacy in social network sites. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 26(11–12), 1006-1030.
  • Brown, J. D. (2000). Adolescents' sexual media diets. Journal of Adolescent Health, 27(2), 35- 40.
  • Carey, K. B., Borsari, B., Carey, M., & Maisto, S. A. (2006). Patterns and importance of self – other differences in college drinking norms. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 20(4), 385-393.
  • Cavazos-Rehg, P. A., Krauss, M. J., Sowles, S. J., & Bierut, L. J. (2015). “Hey Everyone, I’m Drunk” An Evaluation of Drinking Related Twitter Chatter. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76(4), 635-643.
  • Davis, K. (2012). Friendship 2.0: Adolescents’ experiences of belonging and selfdisclosure on-line. Journal of Adolescence, 35(6), 1527-1536.
  • Dietz, C. M. (2008). Development of binge drinking behavior in college students: A developmental analysis. Graduate Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1, 86-96.
  • Egan, K. G., & Moreno, M. A. (2011). Alcohol references on undergraduate males’ Facebook profiles. American Journal of Men's Health, 5(5), 413-420.
  • Ehrenrich, S. E., Underwood, M. K., & Ackerman, R. A. (2014). Adolescents’ Text Message Communication and Growth. Antisocial Behavior Across the First Year of High School. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 42, 251-264.
  • Ellison, N., C. Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2011). Connection strategies: Social capital implications of Facebook-enabled communication practices. New Media & Society, 13(6), 873-892.
  • Glassman, T. (2012). Implications for college students posting pictures of themselves drinking alcohol on Facebook. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 56(1), 38-58.
  • Goodmon, L. B., Smith, P. L., Ivancevich, D., & Lundberg, S. (2014). Actions speak louder than personality: Effects of Facebook content on personality perceptions. North American Journal of Psychology, 16(1), 105-119.
  • Griffiths, R., & Casswell, S. (2010). Intoxigenic digital spaces? Youth, social networking sites, and alcohol marketing. Drug and Alcohol Review, 29(5), 525-530. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3362.2010.00178.x
  • Hardy, S. A., Carlo, G., & Roesch, S. C. (2010). Links between adolescents' expected parental reactions and prosocial behavioral tendencies: The mediating role of prosocial values. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(1), 84-95.
  • Hebden, R., Lyons, A. C., Goodwin, I., & McCreanor, T. (2015). “When you add alcohol, it gets that much better": University students, alcohol consumption, and online drinking cultures. Journal of Drug Issues, 45(2), 214-226.
  • Ho, S. S., & McLeod, D. M. (2008). Social-psychological influences on opinion expression in face-to-face and computer-mediated communication. Communication Research, 35(2), 190–207.
  • Lara, B. L., Alvarez-Dardet, S. M., & Hidalgo-Garcia, M. (2016). Situational analysis of parental socialization in adolescence. Revista De Cercetare Si Interventie Sociala, 52, 51-63.
  • Leung, L. (2013). Generational differences in content generation in social media: The roles of gratifications sought and narcissism. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(3), 997-1006.
  • Litt, D. M., & Stock, M. L. (2011). Adolescent alcohol related risk cognitions: The roles of social norms and social networking sites. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 24(4), 708-713. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024226
  • Lo, C. (2000). The Impact of First Drinking and Differential Association on Collegiate Drinking. Sociological Focus. 33(3), 265-280.
  • Marciszewski, A. (2006). Peer Persuasion: Universities Turn to Students to Help Battle Alcohol Abuse. Tulsa World. Retrieved on June 1, 2014 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/400056383?accountid=28588
  • McHugh, M. L. (2012). Interrater reliability: the kappa statistic. Biochemia Medica, 22(3), 276-282.
  • Miller, R., Parsons, K., & Lifer, D. (2010). Students and social networking sites: the posting paradox. Behavior & Information Technology, 29(4), 337-382.
  • Moreno, M. A., Briner, L. R., Williams, A., Walker, L., Brockman, L. N., & Christakis, D. A. (2010). A content analysis of displayed alcohol references on a social networking web site. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(2), 168-175.
  • Moreno, M. A., D'Angelo, J., & Whitehill, J. (2016). Social media and alcohol: Summary of research, intervention ideas and future study directions. Media and Communication, 4(3). https://doi.org.ezp.scranton.edu/10.17645/mac.v4i3.52
  • Moreno, M. A., Kota, R., Schoohs, S., & Whitehill, J. M. (2013). The Facebook influence model: A concept mapping approach. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(7), 504-511. https://doi.org/10.1089/ cyber.2013.0025
  • Moreno, M. A., & Whitehill, J. M. (2014). Influence of social media on alcohol use in adolescents and young adults. Alcohol Research, 36(1), 91-100.
  • Nadkarni, A., & Hofmann, S. G. (2012). Why do people use Facebook? Personality and Individual Differences, 52(3), 243-249.
  • Nulty, D. (2008). The adequacy of response rates to online and paper surveys: What can be done? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 33(3), 301-314.
  • Peluchette, J. V., & Karl, K. A. (2007). The Prevalence of Facebook Faux Pas and Students’ ‘Devil May Care’ Attitudes. Paper presented at the Midwest Academy of Management Meeting, October 4-6, 2007, Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Perkins, H. W., Haines, M. P., & Rice, R. (2008). Mis-perceiving the college drinking norm and related problems: A nationwide study of exposure to prevention information, perceived norms, and student alcohol misuse. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66(4), 470-478.
  • PEW Research Center, (2016). Social media update 2016. November, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2017 from http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-update2016/.
  • Reich, S. (2010). Adolescents' sense of community on Myspace and Facebook: A mixed- methods approach. Journal of Community Psychology, 38(6), 688-705. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20389.
  • Roche, T. M., Jenkins, D. D., Aguerrevere, L. E., Kietlinski, R. L., & Prichard, E. A. (2015). College Students' Perceptions of Inappropriate and Appropriate Facebook Disclosures. Psi Chi Journal Of Psychological Research, 20(2), 86-96.
  • Rodriguez, L. M., Litt, D., Neighbors, C., & Lewis, M. A. (2016). I'm a social (network) drinker: Alcohol-related Facebook posts, drinking identity, and alcohol use. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 35(2), 107-129. https://doi.org.ezp.scranton.edu/101521jscp2016352107
  • Shinew, K., & Parry, D. (2005). Examining College Students' Participation in the Leisure Pursuits of Drinking and Illegal Drug Use. Journal of Leisure Research, 37(3), 364-387.
  • Shoenberger, H., & Tandoc, E. (2014). Updated Statuses: Understanding Facebook Use Through Explicit and Implicit Measures of Attitudes and Motivations. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 4(1), 217-244.
  • Steeves, V., & Regan, P. (2014). Young people on-line and the social value of privacy. Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society, 12(4), 298-313.
  • Viera, A. J., & Garrett, J. M. (2005) Understanding inter-observer agreement: The Kappa statistic. Family Medicine, 37(5), 360-363.
  • Yang, C., & Brown, B. B. (2013). Motives for Using Facebook, Patterns of Facebook Activities, and Late Adolescents' Social Adjustment to College. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(3), 403-416.
  • West, L., & Trester, A. M. (2013). Facework on Facebook. Discourse, 2, 133-154.
  • Wolfer, L. (2014). I got really offended by it: College students’ views of inappropriate Facebook posts and what they did in response. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 4(10), 63-68.
  • Wolfer, L. (2016). No Social Issues, Sex or Politics on Facebook: Young Adults’ Views of Inappropriate Facebook Posts. The International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention, 3(10), 2860-2867.