I See, Therefore I am: Exposure to Alcohol References on Social Media, but Not on Traditional Media, Is Related to Alcohol Consumption via Drinking and Non-Drinking Identity

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the role of media in individuals’ alcohol consumption has been touched upon by several researchers. Nevertheless, the underlying processes explaining the relationship between media use and alcohol consumption, as well as the differences in strength of the associations between social and traditional media use and alcohol consumption remain understudied. The present exploratory cross-sectional study (N = 381) among emerging adults (M = 21.83, SD = 2.04, 75.3% females, 67.7% college students) examined drinking identity and non-drinking identity as underlying mechanisms of the relationship between alcohol-related media use and alcohol consumption, while comparing the role of social and traditional media in these processes. We found no associations between traditional media use and drinking identity, non-drinking identity or alcohol consumption. In contrast, social media use was both directly and indirectly related to alcohol consumption via drinking identity and non-drinking identity. This demonstrates that social media can play a socializing role in emerging adults’ alcohol consumption.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Miss Annelien Verschaeren and Miss Natalie Leijser for their help in collecting the data.

Notes

1. Binge drinking is defined as consuming at least 4 glasses of alcohol in a timespan of two hours for females, or at least 5 glasses for males (Rosiers, 2019).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by grants from Bijzonder Onderzoeksraad KU Leuven / Research Fund KU Leuven [C12/16/008 and PDM/18/040].