Folklore as a frame for understanding UGC: pharma folklore from YouTube reflections on psychiatric drugs for depression

ABSTRACT

Prior research has shown that user-generated content (UGC) on social media is an important source for consumers seeking information about mental health treatment. The purpose of this study is to explore UGC about prescription drugs for depression as a type of digital ‘pharma’ folklore. Using qualitative inquiry, the authors analyse 73 user-generated product reviews on YouTube. Findings yield a compelling portrait of people’s struggle with mental illness and their treatment journey. Applying folklore as a framework provides a novel strategy for analysing and theorising the cultural worldview of a consumer group. It allows marketers to decipher the knowledge being passed on to others from product review videos and gain a deeper understanding of stories that resonate with consumers seeking treatment with depression drugs.

KEYWORDS:

• User-generated content (UGC)
• pharma folklore
• mental health
• social media
• YouTube
• product reviews
• pharmaceutical marketing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Alexa – Top sites. (n.d.). Retrieved August 30, 2021, from https://www.alexa.com/topsites.

2. Since we did not directly interview creators, we infer gender from physical characteristics (e.g. hair, body features, etc.) that typify men and women. Similarly, we infer creator’s (primary) race by appearance with 85% appearing to be White and another 11% appearing to be Black.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marie Yeh

Marie Yeh is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Loyola University Maryland. Her scholarship that tackles deeply entrenched societal issues such as mental illness, stigma and sexual violence that often sit at the intersection of public policy and markeitng. Her research is driven from her previous career as a health educator and her deep-seated need to improve the human condition particularly for those who are the most vulnerable in the world. Her translational work sits at the intersection of theory, policy and marketing to find solutions that can be applied in the real world. Dr. Yeh serves on the ERB of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing and the Journal of Consumer Affairs. She also serves as the Communications Chair for the Marketing and Society SIG of the American Marketing Association which promotes marketing research that makes a difference in society. Dr. Yeh is an accomplished trainer and educator with over fifteen years of experience in multiple settings. She also served as an independent grants consultant and grant writer bringing in over $12 million in funding for her nonprofit clients.

Kristen L. Walker

Kristen L. Walker is a Professor of Marketing, and currently serves as the Nazarian College MBA Director and Small Business Institute (SBI) Director at California State University Northridge (CSUN). Her research interests merge public policy, technology, and marketing, focusing on socially responsible business practices around technology, interactive marketing, social media, privacy, and youth privacy protection. Highlighting the risks youth face online, her grant work includes funding by NSF and private foundations. Her article ‘Surrendering Information Through the Looking Glass: Trust, Transparency and Protection’ was awarded the 2018 Thomas Kinnear best paper award from JPPM and recognized by the AMA-EBSCO Responsible Research in Marketing. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing (JPPM), serves on the ERB of the Journal of Consumer Affairs, Journal of Consumer Marketing, and the Journal of Marketing Analytics. Dr. Walker encourages a variety of majors to understand the changing role of consumer information and its permanence/power in the marketplace. She utilizes client projects and platform development activities to help students manage and execute marketing strategies for community businesses and non-profit organizations.

Kimberly V. Legocki

Kimberly V. Legocki is a marketing lecturer at St. Mary’s College of California. Prior to obtaining her doctorate, she spent twenty years in global marketing leadership roles at Piper Aircraft, Regal-Beloit, ATP Software, JohnsonDiversey (SC Johnson), and several early-stage startups. Her research concentrates on reputation-damaging issues that marketing professionals encounter, such as consumer activism, brand transgressions, and digital vigilantism. Kimberly's research has been published or is forthcoming in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing (JPPM), the Journal of Consumer Marketing, and the Journal of Marketing Management.

Meike Eilert

Meike Eilert earned her Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of South Carolina. She works in customer experience research and focuses on understanding how organizations can create inclusive and safe spaces, and take action in their communities. She previously held tenure-track positions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Kentucky. Her work has appeared in journals including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Strategic Management Journal, and the Journal of Business Ethics.