Applying linguistic methods to understanding smoking-related conversations on Twitter.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Social media, such as Twitter, have become major channels of communication and commentary on popular culture, including conversations on our nation's leading addiction: tobacco. The current study examined Twitter conversations following two tobacco-related events in the media: (1) President Obama's doctor announcing that he had quit smoking and (2) the release of a photograph of Miley Cyrus (a former Disney child star) smoking a cigarette. With a focus on high-profile individuals whose actions can draw public attention, we aimed to characterise tobacco-related conversations as an example of tobacco-related public discourse and to present a novel methodology for studying social media.

Methods

Tweets were collected 11-13 November 2011 (President Obama) and 1-3 Aug

SUBMITTER: Sanders-Jackson A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4103964 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature