18 July 2018
Researchers: Professor Christine Griffin, Department of Psychology, University of Bath
Dr Jeff Gavin, Department of Psychology, University of Bath
Professor Isabelle Szmigin, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham
Key findings
- Drinking venues posted on social media more frequently than alcohol brands during the research period.
- 18-25 year olds were more likely to follow venues on social media than brands.
- Venue-level social media was used to both plan and document drinking occasions.
- Venue-level content included cheap offers, promotional events, and images of customers as marketing.
- Less than 2% of posts by brands, and no posts by venues, included messages to ‘drink responsibly’.
- Alcohol brands were more popular on social media among younger (including underage) participants, and less popular among older participants.
