TY  - JOUR
AU  - Kong, Grace
AU  - LaVallee, Heather
AU  - Rams, Alissa
AU  - Ramamurthi, Divya
AU  - Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/06/18
TI  - Promotion of Vape Tricks on YouTube: Content Analysis
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e12709
VL  - 21
IS  - 6
KW  - e-cigarettes
KW  - social media
KW  - marketing
AB  - Background: The ability to perform vape tricks (ie, blowing large vapor clouds or shapes like rings) using e-cigarettes appeals to youth. Vape tricks are promoted on social media, but the promotion of vape tricks on social media is not well understood. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine how vape tricks were promoted on YouTube to youth. Methods: Videos on vape tricks that could be accessed by underage youth were identified. The videos were coded for number of views, likes, dislikes, and content (ie, description of vape tricks, e-cigarette devices used for this purpose, video sponsors [private or industry], brand marketing, and contextual characteristics [eg, model characteristics, music, and profanity]). Results: An analysis of 59 sample videos on vape tricks identified 25 distinct vape tricks. These videos had more likes than dislikes (11 to 1 ratio) and a 32,017 median view count. 48% (28/59) of the videos were posted by industry accounts (27% [16/59] provaping organizations, 15% [9/59] online shops, and 3% [2/59] vape shops) and 53% by private accounts (55% [17/31] private users, 26% [8/31] vape enthusiasts, and 19% [6/31] YouTube influencers); 53% (31/59) of the videos promoted a brand of e-cigarette devices, e-liquids, or online/vape shops, and 99% of the devices used for vape tricks were advanced generation devices. The models in the videos were 80.2% (160/198) male, 51.5% white (102/198), and 61.6% (122/198) aged 18 to 24 years; 85% (50/59) of the videos had electronic dance music and hip hop, and 32% (19/59) had profanity. Conclusions: Vape trick videos on YouTube, about half of which were industry sponsored, were accessible to youth. Restrictions of e-cigarette marketing on social media, such as YouTube, are needed. 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - http://www.jmir.org/2019/6/e12709/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/12709
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31215510
DO  - 10.2196/12709
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/12709
ER  -