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Digital Surveillance to Identify California Alternative and Emerging Tobacco Industry Policy Influence and Mobilization on Facebook

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Listed:
  • Qing Xu

    (Global Health Policy and Data Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    S-3 Research, LLC, San Diego, CA 92121, USA)

  • Joshua Yang

    (Department of Public Health, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA)

  • Michael R. Haupt

    (Global Health Policy and Data Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA)

  • Mingxiang Cai

    (Global Health Policy and Data Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    S-3 Research, LLC, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    Global Health Program, Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA)

  • Matthew C. Nali

    (Global Health Policy and Data Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    S-3 Research, LLC, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    Global Health Program, Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA)

  • Tim K. Mackey

    (Global Health Policy and Data Institute, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    S-3 Research, LLC, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
    Global Health Program, Department of Anthropology, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093, USA)

Abstract

Growing popularity of electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS) has coincided with a need to strengthen tobacco-control policy. In response, the ENDS industry has taken actions to mobilize against public health measures, including coordination on social media platforms. To explore this phenomenon, data mining was used to collect public posts on two Facebook public group pages: the California Consumer Advocates for Smoke Free Alternatives Association (CCASAA) and the community page of the Northern California Chapter of SFATA (NC-SFATA). Posts were manually annotated to characterize themes associated with industry political interference and user interaction. We collected 288 posts from the NC-SFATA and 411 posts from CCASAA. A total of 522 (74.7%) posts were categorized as a form of political interference, with 339 posts (64.9%) from CCASAA and 183 posts (35.1%) from NC-SFATA. We identified three different categories of policy interference-related posts: (1) providing updates on ENDS-related policy at the federal, state, and local levels; (2) sharing opinions about ENDS-related policies; (3) posts related to scientific information related to vaping; and (4) calls to action to mobilize against tobacco/ENDS policies. Our findings indicate that pro-tobacco social media communities on Facebook, driven by strategic activities of trade associations and their members, may act as focal points for anti-policy information dissemination, grass-roots mobilization, and industry coordination that needs further research.

Suggested Citation

  • Qing Xu & Joshua Yang & Michael R. Haupt & Mingxiang Cai & Matthew C. Nali & Tim K. Mackey, 2021. "Digital Surveillance to Identify California Alternative and Emerging Tobacco Industry Policy Influence and Mobilization on Facebook," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-12, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11150-:d:663331
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jason J Jones & Robert M Bond & Eytan Bakshy & Dean Eckles & James H Fowler, 2017. "Social influence and political mobilization: Further evidence from a randomized experiment in the 2012 U.S. presidential election," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(4), pages 1-9, April.
    2. Selda Ulucanlar & Gary J Fooks & Anna B Gilmore, 2016. "The Policy Dystopia Model: An Interpretive Analysis of Tobacco Industry Political Activity," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-21, September.
    3. Emily Savell & Anna B Gilmore & Gary Fooks, 2014. "How Does the Tobacco Industry Attempt to Influence Marketing Regulations? A Systematic Review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(2), pages 1-10, February.
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