An Investigation of Alternative Nicotine Delivery Systems in User-Generated Content on Social Media: A Case Study of IQOS on Instagram
Open Access DepositedThe role of social media in the promotion of tobacco products has garnered increasing attention in recent years. This dissertation investigates the promotion and marketing of IQOS, a leading heated tobacco product (HTP), on Instagram, focusing on user-generated content and the roles of various stakeholders in disseminating such content. Utilizing social network analysis and content analysis, this research provides a comprehensive examination of the network structure and the characteristics of users involved in promoting IQOS. Furthermore, this research also differentiates the tobacco content across different users and sheds light on what factors drive more engagement with such content on social media. The first study constructed a social network of Instagram users who posted IQOS-related content between January 1 and April 5, 2021. The analysis identified 4,526 unique Instagram accounts, revealing a complex network dominated by business accounts, influencers, and celebrities. These accounts played significant roles in promoting IQOS, often framing it within aspirational and lifestyle contexts. Accounts directly associated with IQOS or containing "IQOS" in their usernames had higher centrality measures, indicating their influence in the promotion of a new tobacco product. The second study systematically classified and compared the prevalence of tobacco product-related posts across diverse user groups. Combined with a manual annotation and machine learning techniques, we analyzed a sample of 3,678 IQOS-related Instagram posts across five user groups (i.e., IQOS brand accounts, tobacco retailers, other businesses, social media influencers, and consumers) separately. Influencers had the highest proportion of posts with facial images and IQOS logos, while all groups emphasized compatibility and observability. Topic modeling revealed themes such as "Friend & Community," "Innovative Tobacco Product," and "Leisure Lifestyle." Regression analysis showed that follower count and facial images positively correlated with likes and comments, while brand logos had a negative association. This dissertation highlights the influential players in promoting IQOS and provides insights into how these roles contribute to the broader landscape of tobacco marketing on social media. The findings underscore the importance of understanding the different user roles and the implicit messaging strategies employed in promoting tobacco products. This research offers a foundation for developing targeted interventions and regulatory policies to mitigate the impact of such marketing on public health, particularly among youth.
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