Why Are Social Media Good for the Alcohol Industry - Essay Example

Why are social media good for the alcohol industry? One of the most pressing and interesting aspects of modern culture is the explosion of social media and how this effects people, particularly the youth generation who are the biggest users of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter (Rideout et al, 2010). Not only do these media have a huge role in shaping social interactions between young people, they also play an important role in the development of advertising. Advertisers often see Facebook and Twitter as free advertising, because of the relatively low costs of setting up a Facebook page or a Twitter account to spread the word about these products. Social media is also good for discussing new products, especially among youths, who may endorse or denounce these products publicly, having a massive impact on sales. Social media is often also used to discuss television, movies and music (Egan & Moreno, 2011), not only advertising these products but perhaps even endorsing the actions which go on in these media. The purpose of this essay is to discuss how these aspects of social media are good for the alcohol industry and how these things can affect alcohol use and abuse in the younger age groups because of their constant exposure to alcohol via social media sites. One of the most interesting things about social media is its use in discussions, often live, about television programs and other more traditional forms of media. For example, programs such as Gossip Girl or Jersey Shore often have a huge online following on blog sites, Twitter and Facebook, which focus on discussing the show and characters. Shows aimed at a youth market often have a focus on alcohol (Rideout et al, 2010) and the effects this has on the body and social relationships. Gossip Girl, for example, commonly shows underage teenagers being served drinks in exclusive cocktail bars or having outrageous house parties where alcohol is freely available (Reid, 2009). The characters often look like they are having a great deal of fun. This is a great endorsement for the alcohol industry, who are often focused on tapping into the youth market who have often have significant amounts of disposable income (Rideout et al, 2010). Not only do these forms of traditional media encourage drinking, the use of social media to reinforce these ideas can be seriously influential for the alcohol industry. Teenagers who may not have had exposure for alcohol before seeing these shows or hearing a recommendation to watch it from somewhere online may suddenly be more curious about the drug that causes the often imitable characters of these shows to have so much fun. Something else that is interesting about social media and alcohol is that the minimum age for signing up to most social networking sites is 13 (Rideout et al, 2010). This age is too young to drink in every country worldwide, and yet alcohol advertising is still prevalent on most social networking sites (Egan & Moreno, 2011). On something like Twitter, it would be impossible to ban all references or sideline advertising of alcoholic products. It has been recommended that social networking sites do not allow explicit advertising of alcoholic products, something that seems more important when you consider the fact that almost 50% of children in the UK aged 8-17 have a profile on a social networking site (Reid, 2009), a country which has the legal drinking age set at 18. Whilst there are no limitations on this kind of advertising (as there are on advertising cigarettes and alcohol via traditional media [Goodman, 2003]), it seems likely that social media will remain a good advertising source for the alcohol industry. A further interesting point about social media and alcohol consumption is that a reported 27% of 13-15 year olds have seen pictures of friends drunk on a social networking site such as Facebook (Egan & Moreno, 2011). This only goes to further the endorsement that these sites seem to give to alcoholic beverages. If the youth market sees that drinking is something that other young, sociable people such as their friends do on a regular basis, as it would appear from these types of photograph, it may lead them to consider drinking. This may not have happened in the past, where photographs were only available in hard copies and therefore not available for hundreds, if not thousands, of people to see on a regular basis (Reid, 2009). This can have the effect of glorifying alcohol use and may lead to further problems, such as alcohol dependence (Moreno et al, 2011). Again, this just shows how useful the social media are for the alcohol industry, who can rely on this as a source of free advertising. Pictures may even feature labels or distinctive bottles which show the precise drink that is being consumed, which is even more positive for certain alcohol manufacturers. Young people are more likely than any other group to be influenced by their peers (Osgerby, 2004), so this availability of drinking encouragement is a very important aspect of social media. Young people have traditionally been the largest consumers of media, and the social media is no different (Rideout et al, 2010). Aside from the two factors above, social media often gives users the ability to post statuses (Moreno et al, 2011). In many cases, young people could describe their night and list or describe alcoholic products as part of this. This is again a huge boon for the alcohol industry, who get free advertising from these statuses on Twitter and Facebook and related social networking sites. Targeted advertising on these websites may add to this, with mentions of alcohol or specific alcoholic drinks leading to specific advertising aimed at the viewer (Gajaria et al, 2011). This is essentially double advertising on one page, one free and one at minimal cost. As the youth market is huge on these websites, the alcohol industry has access to a huge market of people, particularly young people, who may buy their products. The media has an influential role in shaping public culture (Posner & Wollersheim, 2011), and these social media are no different. It is now not difficult to hear the word Twitter or Facebook in a public space, with the traditional phone number swapping often being replaced by Facebook. This has huge implications for alcohol. As all the above things become more commonplace, with pictures and updates about drinking being plastered all over the internet, this may in turn have an effect on the drinking culture worldwide. Young people see other young people drinking in photographs, talking about drinking events, or discussing programs that put a positive spin on alcohol, and they may begin to believe that this is normal and partake in it where they may never have done so in the past. Media has always had a role in shaping popular culture, but these social media are available 24/7 and therefore may have an even more influential role, something that needs to be monitored with respect to things that pose a danger, such as drinking or smoking. In conclusion, it is interesting to see how the social media affects the alcohol industry. Alcohol and the media have often been intertwined throughout history, and these new forms of media are no different. This may end up becoming a problem because social media is more interactive and eternally present, leading people to have constant exposure to alcohol and alcohol advertisements. This is a particularly pressing issue in youth culture, as young people are the biggest consumers of social media and more likely to spend a significant amount of time online (Rideout et al, 2010), meaning that they have more exposure to alcohol and related pressures. Another important issue related to this is that the relationship that young people form with alcohol can often be present throughout their lives, and social media shaping the traditions associated with alcohol could lead to more problems with drinking in the future. Media is often implicated in shaping modern culture, and social media is no different, although the fact that it often involves exposing young people to alcohol and its dangers is something to be wary of. It is interesting to see that some research has suggested that it might be beneficial to ban alcohol-related content from certain aspects of social media, indicating that there are obviously some people who feel that alcohol poses a very real danger to young people who may begin consuming it after interaction with it in the social media. Works Cited Egan, K.G., and M.A. Moreno. “Alcohol References on Undergraduate Males’ Facebook Profiles.” American Journal of Men’s Health (2011): n. pag. Print. Gajaria, A. et al. “Beliefs About Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Response to Stereotypes: Youth Postings in Facebook Groups.” Journal of Adolescent Health (2011): n. pag. Print. Goodman, S. Teaching youth media: A critical guide to literacy, video production & social change. Vol. 36. Teachers College Pr, 2003. Print. Kolek, E.A., and D. Saunders. “Online disclosure: An empirical examination of undergraduate Facebook profiles.” Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice 45.1 (2008): 2. Print. Moreno, M.A. et al. “Associations Between Displayed Alcohol References on Facebook and Problem Drinking Among College Students.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (2011): archpediatrics–2011. Print. Osgerby, B. Youth media. Psychology Press, 2004. Print. Posner, S., and D. Wollersheim. “‘I’m Not an Alcoholic, I’m Australian’: An Exploration of Alcohol Discourse in Facebook Groups.” Social Informatics (2011): 292–295. Print. Reid, S. “Facebook, Youth,‘Sexting’, and Implications of Social Interaction.” (2009): n. pag. Print. Rideout, V.J., U.G. Foehr, and D.F. Roberts. “Generation M2: Media in the lives of 8-to 18-year-olds.” Victoria 54.8010 (2010): n. pag. Print. Read More