Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35131947›Full record

ArticleTobacco control2023

E-cigarette brands and social media influencers on Instagram: a social network analysis.

Julia Vassey, Tom Valente, Joshua Barker, Cassandra Stanton, Dongmei Li, Linnea Laestadius, Tess Boley Cruz, Jennifer B Unger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Tobacco control, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 93 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
93citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

93 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. A Systematic Review of E-Cigarette Marketing Communication: Messages, Communication Channels, and Strategies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Parsing Instagram Posts for Smoking Imagery Amongst Users: A Content Analysis.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Observational
  9. E-cigarette and Cannabis in Social Media Influencer Marketing and Its Effect on Adolescents: A Survey-Based Experiment.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2026
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
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  15. Article
  16. Article
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  19. Demographic Trends in E-Cigarette Social Media Marketing: Perceiving Gender Presentation and Facial Age Via Computer Vision.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2025
    Article
  20. Paid Social Media Advertising on Vaping in Australia: A Descriptive Study Using Meta Ad Library.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2025
    Article

33 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Julia VasseyPopulation and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA vassey@usc.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-3002-2000
Tom ValentePopulation and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Joshua BarkerPopulation and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Cassandra StantonBehavioral Health and Health Policy Practice, Westat, Rockville, Maryland, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5329-6261
Dongmei LiClinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9140-2483
Linnea LaestadiusZilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3272-9317
Tess Boley CruzPopulation and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5894-1802
Jennifer B UngerPopulation and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9064-6603

Funding

USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory ScienceU54CA180905 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Adam Matthew Leventhal · 2018 to 2026
$39.0M
The University of Rochester's Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR002001 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · PI WILSON, KAREN M., ZAND, MARTIN S · 2016 to 2024
$34.6M
Leadership and Logistics CoreU54DA046060 · NIDA · WESTAT, INC. · PI Jeanne Rosenthal · 2018 to 2026
$28.1M
WNY Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco Products (CRoFT)U54CA228110 · NCI · ROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE CORP · PI LI, DONGMEI · 2018 to 2022
$19.8M
Evaluating the impact of e-cigarette social media marketing on e-cigarette use among underage youth.R01CA260459 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI UNGER, JENNIFER BETH · 2021 to 2023
$1.4M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002001NCI NIH HHS R01 CA260459NCI NIH HHS U54 CA180905NCI NIH HHS U54 CA228110NIDA NIH HHS U54 DA046060
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExposure to visual posts featuring e-cigarette products on social media is associated with increased e-cigarette use among US adolescents. Instagram is the largest source of e-cigarette social media marketing, where influencers-for example, bloggers, brand ambassadors-post promotional materials. This study analysed the network of e-cigarette brands and influencers on Instagram, characterising the most central players in e-cigarette social media marketing.

methodsWe tracked influencers with public profiles on Instagram who posted promotional e-cigarette content in 2020, had over 1000 followers and high user engagement rate (ratio of likes and comments to followers) of 1%-25% per post. By conducting a social network analysis, we identified the most central (highly involved in promotional activities) influencers and e-cigarette brands. The number of the influencers' followers aged 13-17 years old and the age verification practices restricting youth access were also assessed.

resultsThere is a highly interconnected network of engaging e-cigarette influencers (n=55) worldwide who collaborated with over 600 e-cigarette brands in 2020. The Asian and US influencers had five to six times more teenage followers compared with the European influencers. 75% of the influencers did not restrict youth access to their promotional content on Instagram. The brands Voopotech, Innokin, Geekvape, Lost Vape, Smok and Vaporesso collaborated with the largest number of influencers (mean n=20).

conclusionsIt is important to understand associations among influencers and e-cigarette use behaviours, especially youth, to inform effective public health communication and potential policies that could regulate social media marketing sponsored by e-cigarette companies.

Indexed as

Electronic Nicotine Delivery SystemsSocial MediaTobacco ProductsAdolescentHumansMarketingSocial Network Analysisadvertising and promotionelectronic nicotine delivery devicespublic policysocial marketingtobacco industry

Identifiers

PMID35131947
PMCPMC9473311

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.