Drug addiction content in Russian social media: origins, features, user engagement

Drug addiction is one of the most acute modern social issues. The content about drug addiction in the Russian-speaking segment of social media has been analyzed. The types of media and the main topics (news, advertising, humor, etc.) of drug addiction content have been identified, media content features have been highlighted, and audience engagement has been determined. Social media is convenient and easy to use as it allows to share information, but it carries a number of risks. Interactivity, instant distribution of content, uncensored content, and authors’ anonymity are the main factors contributing to illegal materials broadcasting. The Kribrum.Pro Social Media Analysis System was used as a technical tool. Special attention has been paid to the possibilities and limitations of studying deviant phenomena in the Internet environment. For the posts selection, the author’s linguistic query was compiled using a special system of signs, as well as considering alternative names of narcotic substances. The results show that each type of media has its own content, which is explained by the capabilities and moderation policies of specific media platforms. Instant messengers are dominated by advertisements for drug shops and drug couriers, social media is usually dominated by pop culture products about drug addiction (movies, music, and music videos). Blogs have virtually no discussion of drug topics, and the content is multidirectional. Video hosting sites mostly contain materials about “informing and prevention”, “education”, and the content is distributed by rehabilitation centers and medical institutions. In general, the idea of drug addiction in social media can be characterized as ambivalent, that is, there are various, often contradictory images of drug addiction in the media. Platforms are characterized by both normalization and stigmatization, romanticization and idolization of drug addicts from the show business sphere with simultaneous disregard for them.

1. Dal A., Nisbet E.C. Walking through firewalls: Circumventing censorship of social media and online content in a networked authoritarian context. Social Media+ Society. 2022;4(8)ю https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/20563051221137738

2. Daniel Jr E.S., Crawford Jackson E.C., Westerman D.K. The influence of social media influencers: Understanding online vaping communities and parasocial interaction through the lens of Taylor’s six-segment strategy wheelю Journal of Interactive Advertising. 2018;2(18):96–109.

3. Hollenbaugh E.E. Self-Presentation in social media: Review and research opportunities. Review of Communication Research. 2021;9:81–98.

4. McLuhan M. Understanding media: the extensions of man. Gingko Press; 2013. 336 p.

5. Petukhov A.Yu. (2020). Problems of countering the use of computer technology in drug trafficking. Bulletin of Krasnodar University of Russian MIA. 2020;1(47):68–71. (In Russian).

6. Shultz V.L. Theoretical and methodological problems of digital sociology. Bulletin of Moscow University. Sociology and Political Science. 2022;1(28):126–144. (In Russian).

7. Sukhodolov A.P. Digital technologies and drug-related crime: problems of counteracting the use of Telegram messenger for trafficking drugs. Russian Journal of Criminology. 2019;1(13):5–17. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.17150/2500-4255.2019.13(1).5- 17

8. Swart J. Experiencing Algorithms: How Young People Understand, Feel About, and Engage with Algorithmic News Selection on Social Media. Social Media + Society. 2021;2(7).

9. Valkova U.В. History of drug abuse from ancient times to the present (sociological analysis). Izvestiya RGPU named after A.I. Herzen. 2011;130:271–275. (In Russian).

10. Vogel E.A., Ramo D.E., Rubinstein M.L., Delucchi K.L., Darrow S.M., Costello C., Prochaska J.J. Effects of Social Media on Adolescents’ Willingness and Intention to Use E-Cigarettes: An Experimental Investigation. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. 2021;4(23):694–701.

11. Wischerath D. Spreading the Word: Exploring a Network of Mobilizing Messages in a Telegram Conspiracy Group. In: Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. 2024.