Alcohol-related social media content and alcohol consumption: Alcohol-related posting and drinker stereotypes as mediators

Studies have suggested that exposure to alcohol-related content influences drinking behavior through its impact on alcohol-related cognition. In this study we investigated whether exposure to alcohol-related content presented on social media influences alcohol consumption by stimulating viewers to post alcohol-related content. Using a dataset (N = 203) from a cross-sectional survey conducted in the United States, we assessed respondents’ alcohol-related posting, drinker stereotypes, and alcohol consumption. The results showed that exposure to alcohol-related content on social media was positively associated with posting alcohol-related content. Further, posting alcohol-related content was positively associated with positive drinker stereotypes, which were positively associated with alcohol consumption. These findings contribute to understanding of the influence of social media on alcohol consumption, and provide insight into strategies to limit alcohol consumption.