Alcohol Portrayals Research Articles

'Black Out Rage Gallon' (aka borg): An investigation of a risky drinking trend on TikTok.

A 'Black Out Rage Gallon' (borg) is a customised, individual alcoholic beverage popularised on TikTok, whereby half the water in a gallon jug is replaced with alcohol (usually spirits), flavourings, electrolytes and caffeine. We investigated the characteristics and portrayal of the emerging alcohol trend associated with the hashtag descriptor #borg on TikTok. We identified highly viewed TikTok videos with the #borg hashtag (n = 103) and conducted a content analysis, capturing viewer engagement ('likes', shares, comments), techniques used, characteristics of featured individuals, and the portrayal of alcohol and risky drinking behaviours. Alcohol was visible in three quarters of the videos analysed (n = 78, average amount of alcohol present 865 mL per borg) and consumed in one third of the videos (n = 34). One quarter of videos (n = 25) promoted alleged benefits of borg consumption compared to other alcohol products or approaches to drinking, yet only nine videos included a warning about potential harms. The borg trend on TikTok may encourage risky drinking, by portraying it in a style that younger viewers are likely to see as fun and entertaining. SO WHAT?: We were able to gain a better understanding of how this potentially health harming activity is represented on a social media platform that is popular with young people. The speedy dissemination of this trend highlights the need to monitor, investigate and counter emerging trends. Concurrently, there is an urgent need for content restrictions to limit the visibility and promotion of risky alcohol consumption on TikTok.

On the (in)effectiveness of textual disclosures on expectancies, attitudes, and perceived appropriateness of alcohol

Objective Drinking alcohol is frequently portrayed in the media, often overemphasizing its positive attributes. In particular, hip-hop music videos regularly depict alcohol consumption. Building on social cognitive theory, we conduct three pre-registered experimental studies to examine whether textual disclosures from different sources and with varying degrees of explicitness about the consequences of alcohol consumption can influence viewers’ alcohol expectancies, attitudes toward alcohol, and the appropriateness of alcohol presentations following a hip-hop video depicting alcohol consumption. Methods and measures We test 1) the established YouTube product placement disclosure, 2) a disclosure that explicitly refers to alcohol and a disclosure that additionally refers to the harmful consequences of alcohol consumption, 3) and finally the role of user comments on YouTube that discuss the negative or positive consequences of alcohol. Results We found that none of the disclosures tested were able to reduce positive attitudes toward alcohol, positive drinking expectancies, or perceived appropriateness of alcohol portrayals. Instead, one’s own drinking behavior was most important in explaining these dependent variables, with frequent drinkers reporting higher scores on attitudes toward alcohol, positive drinking expectancies, and a positive evaluation of alcohol portrayals in the media compared to people who never or rarely drink. Conclusions Our findings across the three studies paint a picture of the ineffectiveness of various forms of textual disclosure on alcohol-related attitudes, expectancies, and ratings of the appropriateness of alcohol portrayals in the media. Alternative steps forward, i.e., the creation of offerings for content creators that encourage them to consider the consequences of their representations, are therefore needed.

‘I’m on board with the borg’ : encouraging risky alcohol use on TikTok

A ‘Blackout Rage Gallon’ (borg) is a dangerous new alcohol consumption trend popular with young people. It involves creating a customised, individual alcoholic beverage by replacing half the water in a four litre (gallon) jug with alcohol (usually spirits), flavourings, electrolytes and caffeinated energy drinks or caffeine supplements. The most prevalent ‘recipe’ calls for the addition of 750ml of alcohol. The ‘blackout’ part of the name refers to the intent of one person to consume the borg in one session, thereby encouraging risky alcohol use. Indeed, there have been reports in popular media of multiple hospitalisations attributed to consumption of borgs at college events in the United States. Part of the attraction of the trend is to label the borg with a clever name, usually incorporating the term ‘borg’. The trend has gained traction recently on TikTok, which has become an important, yet unregulated, source of information for the public including young people(1). We investigated TikTok videos associated with the hashtag #borg to better understand this dangerous new phenomenon. We identified and analysed highly viewed TikTok videos (n = 105) for engagement, techniques, characteristics of featured individuals, and the portrayal of alcohol and risky drinking behaviours. Alcohol was visible in three quarters of the videos analysed (n = 78), and consumed in one third (n = 34). The average amount of alcohol present was well in excess of safe drinking guidelines (865ml) One quarter of videos (n = 25) promoted alleged benefits such as control of volume of consumption, protection from drink spiking, and mitigation of side effects due to addition of electrolytes and water. Alarmingly, only 9 videos included a warning about potential harms of the borg or alcohol in general. Indeed, videos discussing potential harms and benefits tended to encourage the use of borg, for example ‘I’m on board with the borg’. Our study found the borg TikTok trend encourages risky drinking in a fun and entertaining way, supporting previous studies where the majority of content was positively portraying a product or behaviour(2). As there is an association between viewing alcohol-related content on social media and alcohol use(3), there is an urgent need for social media content restrictions to limit the visibility of risky alcohol consumption, particularly to underage users.

Tobacco and Alcohol Content in Top Vietnamese YouTube Music Videos: Content Analysis.

Seeing portrayals of tobacco and alcohol in music videos (MVs) may reduce perceived risks, increase susceptibility, and lead to the initiation of tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents and young adults. Previous studies have predominantly concentrated on assessing tobacco and alcohol contents in English-language MVs within Western countries. However, many other countries have not only been influenced by the English music market but have also produced music in their native languages, and this content remains underexamined. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of tobacco- and alcohol-related content in top Vietnamese MVs on YouTube from 2013 to 2021, to describe how tobacco and alcohol are portrayed in these MVs, and to examine associations between these portrayals and MV characteristics. A total of 410 Vietnamese MVs, including the top 40 or 50 most viewed released each year between 2013 and 2021, were analyzed. General information, such as the song name, its release date and ranking, age restriction, musical genre, and type of MV, was collected. We examined tobacco and alcohol content in the MVs, with specific details such as tobacco types, their brands, as well as the number, age, sex, and roles of individuals smoking or drinking. Among the 410 MVs, 36 (8.8%) contained tobacco-related content and 136 (33.2%) featured alcohol-related content. Additionally, 28 (6.8%) out of 410 MVs included both tobacco and alcohol content. The prevalence of videos with tobacco and alcohol content fluctuated over the years. In MVs with tobacco-related content, a higher proportion of hip-hop or rap songs contained tobacco-related content (n=6, 30%) compared to other music genres. In MVs with tobacco-related content, cigarettes were the most frequently shown product (n=28, 77.8%), and smoking scenes were often depicted at parties (n=13, 36.1%) and during dancing and singing scenes (n=12, 33.3%). Among the 31 MVs portraying actual tobacco use, tobacco use was typically depicted with 1 person, often a young adult male, while 38.7% (n=12) showed singer(s) smoking. For MVs with alcohol-related content, there was a high proportion showing alcohol images at parties, bars, or pubs (n=96, 70.6%). Among 87 MVs containing drinking scenes, 60.9% (n=53) involved groups of young adults of both sexes, and 64% (n=56) depicted singers drinking. Additionally, only 2 (5.6%) MVs included health warnings about tobacco harm, and 2 MVs (1.5%) included warnings about drinking restricted to individuals 18 years and above. The notable prevalence of tobacco and alcohol content in leading Vietnamese YouTube MVs raises concerns, especially as most of this content is portrayed without any warnings. The study underscores a regulatory gap in addressing such content on the internet, emphasizing the urgent need for stricter regulations and age restrictions on platforms such as YouTube.

Adolescents' perceptions of alcohol portrayals in the media and their impact on cognitions and behaviors.

Exposure to alcohol in the media is pervasive and may influence adolescents' perceptions and use of alcohol. The purpose of this study was to better understand how adolescents perceive alcohol-related content in both entertainment and social media, with a focus on the valence of portrayals (i.e., positive, negative) and impacts on cognitions and behaviors. Participants were 40 high school students (60% female). Nine focus groups were conducted via videoconferencing, stratified by grade (9th/10th, 11th/12th) and gender. Transcripts were analyzed via template-style thematic analyses to identify themes. Six themes were developed, including (a) some portrayals of alcohol may increase likelihood of using alcohol, (b) some portrayals of alcohol in the media can discourage drinking, (c) sometimes truly negative consequences of alcohol are portrayed positively or downplayed, (d) media portrayals of alcohol are perceived to be based in reality but are at times exaggerated, (e) adolescent and adult alcohol use is portrayed differently in entertainment media, and (f) the extent to which adolescents are influenced by the media may depend on their preexisting attitudes, beliefs, and education. Adolescents have awareness of media portrayals of alcohol, both positive and negative, and their associated impacts. Findings highlight the need for much more work to understand the conditions under which, and for whom, exposure to different types of positive portrayals of alcohol in the media translate into positive expectancies about alcohol or drinking motives. Such work may ultimately inform intervention targets to reduce early initiation and/or risky drinking among adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Alcohol Portrayal in Selected American Plays

Alcoholism, as a social disease that creeps into society, in general, and into the family, in particular, causes addiction, depression, and ultimately death. Affecting a vast array of people, Alcoholism is indiscriminate regardless of race, gender, identity, education, class, or intelligence. Alcoholism results in societal problems that are depicted heavily on the American stage after wars to reach solutions. A qualitative research method is going to be followed and applied by employing a mixture of Scholarship and Textual Analysis Methods are used to investigate the body of scholarship written about the two playwrights, their literary works, and historical periods. By comparing two American plays: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (1938) and Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night (1955), this paper identifies alcoholism as a social disease, traces back its causes, and analyzes the problematic portrayals of its stereotypes. By following the Block Method, this paper makes a comparison to deal with particular and important features of the two plays for the argument presented, supported by textual evidence taken from both texts. This study raises questions such as: Why is alcoholism projected publicly? How do people feel and react toward alcoholic addicts? Are alcoholic addicts, the main characters in the selected plays, reliable, tragic, sympathetic, or empathetic? Does the playwrights’ history of alcohol play a role in shaping such characters?

“You Don’t Want to Drink? What Are You, Pregnant?!”

Background and objective Pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and their partners frequently report obtaining information about alcohol use during pregnancy from the mass media. Relying on mainstream media sources, such as television, can be problematic when the information presented is inaccurate, contributing to inconsistent messaging about the ‘safety’ of alcohol use during pregnancy. In the current study, we aimed to explore the portrayal of alcohol (and substance) use (e.g., tobacco, opioids) during pregnancy in North American, English speaking mainstream prime time and streaming television shows ( N = 25). To the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has explored the representations of alcohol (and/or substance use) during pregnancy in this context. Materials and methods The following inclusion criteria guided the show selection: (1) top 100 shows on cable/streaming services targeting women aged 18 to 49 years, and (2) shows suggested by targeted social media posts. Using ethnographic content analysis (ECA), the content and role of television media narratives in the social construction of alcohol meanings concerning the safety of alcohol use during pregnancy were explored. Results and conclusion In line with ECA, the results and conclusion are discussed together. The results and discussion are presented under an overarching narrative, the dichotomy of women's alcohol and substance use, which illustrates the sociocultural construction of alcohol and substance use during pregnancy. Within this overarching narrative, we focus on two sub-narratives: (1) women's acceptable use and (2) women's villainous use. Our analysis indicates misrepresentations regarding the safety of alcohol use during conception (e.g., Friends from College) and pregnancy (e.g., How I Met Your Mother, The Mindy Project). In addition, a narrative was identified relating to the difficulty of keeping a pregnancy private when not drinking socially (e.g., Friends, The Office). These narratives reinforced a dichotomy between the types of women who drink during pregnancy, including some for whom it was okay to have ‘just a little bit’ (e.g., How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Black Mirror) in contrast to others who were portrayed as villains who engaged in binge drinking behaviour and/or other comorbid substance use (e.g., Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Chicago Med, Law & Order). These results demonstrate the need to provide a clear, consistent messaging about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy, as mixed messages from television can contribute to misinformation. The recommendations for messaging, as well as changing our approaches to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention in the light of these findings are discussed.

Alcohol Portrayals on Social Media (Social Media)

Alcohol Portrayals on Social Media (Social Media)

Exposure to Media Messages Portraying Effects of Alcohol Use in a Young Adult Sample

Background: Young adults are prolific media users and tend to use substances, such as alcohol, more than people of other ages. Despite much research on young adults’ exposure to alcohol advertisements and portrayals of alcohol use in the media, much is still unknown about the nuances of young adults’ exposure to and engagement with alcohol-related media content. The present paper examined how college students’ media exposure differed for messages portraying positive and negative alcohol effects, how exposure to alcohol-related content differed across media sources, which themes of alcoholrelated content were seen most, and whether exposure to alcohol-related content was associated with hazardous/harmful drinking. Method: Participants (N=500) were two- and four-year college students (Mage=20.90, SDage=1.70, 63.2% female) recruited for a longitudinal study examining the efficacy of a mobile app intervention for high-risk drinking college students. The data used here comes from the baseline survey. Results: Participants reported the greatest exposure to alcohol-related messages in movies/TV/on-demand streaming shows followed by in social media, and they reported greater exposure to messages portraying positive than negative effects of alcohol. Findings from linear regressions indicated that exposure to messages portraying positive or negative effects of alcohol generally did not predict hazardous/harmful drinking. Conclusion: This sample of high-risk college student drinkers reported seeing alcohol-related content through a variety of media sources, with most content portraying alcohol in a positive light. Future research should assess the effects that messages of different types and from different sources have on use, expectancies, norms, and other outcomes.

Alcohol consumption messages in Korean dramas: the globalization of South Korean drinking norms.

South Korea has one of the highest rates of monthly alcohol consumption, high-risk drinking, and alcohol-related problems. Global viewers of Korean dramas consume messages about the cultural norms regarding alcohol consumption. There is limited data on the portrayal of alcohol in Korean dramas. The purpose of this embedded mixed methods study is to explore the nature of the portrayal of alcohol consumption in Korean dramas. Content analysis was conducted on a random selection of six drama series. The portrayal of alcohol consumption is ubiquitous, with a reference to alcohol approximately every 12 minutes of programming. The primary messages include the ritualistic importance of alcohol, the over consumption of alcohol by males and females, alcohol as a stress reliever, alcohol as a relationship facilitator, intoxication as a positive valence, unrealistic consequences of intoxication, males as reliable caretakers of intoxicated females, and nondepiction of driving while intoxicated. The results of this study further our understanding of the frequency of the portrayal of alcohol and the prevailing messages about alcohol consumption and intoxication in Korean dramas.

#Alcohol: Portrayals of Alcohol in Top Videos on TikTok

The purpose of this study was to characterize the content and themes present in user-generated TikTok videos portraying alcohol. We captured the 100 most popular videos including the #alcohol hashtag on the popular social networking site TikTok. We used an iterative process to codebook development, resulting in codes for user sentiment toward alcohol, type of alcohol depicted, brand references, degree of alcohol use, and positive/negative associations with alcohol use. Videos were independently double coded, evaluated for inter-rater agreement, and adjudicated if differences were present. The videos in our sample were collectively viewed 291,999,100 times. The vast majority (98%) of videos expressed pro-alcohol sentiment. Nearly half of videos (41%) were guide videos demonstrating drink recipes. The majority of videos (72%) included liquor. Consuming multiple drinks quickly was depicted in more than half of videos (61%), whereas intoxication (13%) was exhibited less frequently. Positive associations with alcohol were prevalent; 69% of videos conveyed positive experiences with alcohol, 55% of videos contained humor, and 45% included associations of alcohol with camaraderie. Negative associations with alcohol were rarely portrayed (4%). Top alcohol-related videos on TikTok are heavily viewed. Their contents demonstrate a propensity to promote rapid consumption of multiple drinks and to juxtapose alcohol use with positive associations such as humor and camaraderie, while rarely depicting negative outcomes associated with hazardous alcohol use.

Self-Regulation Failure Reduces the Effect Alcohol Portrayals in Movies on Indirect Attitudes toward Alcohol

We investigated the cognitive mechanisms underlying change in implicit cognitions following exposure to alcohol portrayals. More precisely, we tested in an experimental study whether this change depends on controlled or automatic processes by putting participants in a state of self-regulatory fatigue prior to being exposed to alcohol portrayals. Ninety participants were randomly assigned to a 2 (attitude measure: before vs after) × 2 (alcohol portrayal: yes vs no) × 2 (ego depletion: yes vs no) mixed design to assess whether the effects of alcohol portrayals affected cognitive resources. It was hypothesized that alcohol portrayals would have more of an impact on participants submitted to an ego-depletion task. We found a change in attitudes toward alcohol only for participants that had been exposed to alcohol portrayals, and who had not been cognitively depleted. These results suggest that these changes rely on controlled, resource-dependent processes rather than on purely associative and automatic processes. Implications regarding alcohol advertising effects on public health are discussed.

Shaken & Stirred: effect alcohol portrayals in movies on attitudes toward alcohol and self-alcohol associations

ABSTRACT Background: Little experimental researches have investigated how alcohol portrayal influences alcohol-related cognitions that could lead to long-term alcohol consumption. We identified two potential cognitive processes by which alcohol portrayals could lead to increased change in alcohol consumption: changes in implicit attitudes and association between the active self-concept and alcohol.Methods: We tested participants (n = 87) to see if incidental exposure to alcohol portrayals in movies resulted change in indirect measures of attitudes toward alcohol and self-alcohol association. Results showed that participants exposed to alcohol portrayals had more negative implicit attitudes toward alcohol after watching the movie.Results: Participants showed stronger self-alcohol association in the alcohol portrayal condition compared to the control condition, and this effect was stronger for participants that liked the James Bond series.Conclusions: Perspectives related to long term alcohol consumption are discussed.

Portrayal of alcohol in Bollywood movies: A mixed methods study.

Introduction:Exposure to alcohol in popular movies during adolescence is associated with higher rates of alcohol use. We aimed to assess the extent and pattern of depiction of alcohol in Bollywood movies, and to analyze the trends in portrayal of alcohol over three decades selected for the study.Materials and Methods:We selected the top five grossing movies for each year of the three decades selected (1961–1970; 1981–1990; and 2001–2010). Content analysis was conducted for each scene depicting alcohol in the movie. We compared quantitative variables across the three decades to assess for any changes in the portrayal of alcohol and performed qualitative content analysis for the text description of the context, in which alcohol was depicted in each movie.Results:Of the total 150 movies analyzed, 135 (90%) movies contained at least one scene depicting alcohol. Alcohol scenes comprised 7% of the total movie time. Majority of the scenes (92.2%, n = 976) showed the substance (alcohol) itself. Spirits were the most common alcohol beverages depicted (75.1%, n = 733). Only 7.9% of scenes (n = 84) depicted alcohol brands. About 67% (n = 709) of scenes showed characters consuming alcohol or appeared intoxicated. Most scenes portrayed hero (n = 253, 35.7%) consuming alcohol. Female characters were depicted in 7.5% (n = 53) alcohol scenes. The third decade (2001–2010) had the least proportion of scenes depicting Spirits and the highest proportion of scenes depicting beer and wine. Decade three also had the most proportion of scenes set in clubs, bars, discotheques or restaurants, scenes with characters of “positive” shade depicting alcohol use, and the scenes portraying heroine with alcohol use.Conclusion:There is an increasing trend toward alcohol depiction by positive characters for fun and relaxation, and toward depiction of low-concentration alcohol such as beer in recent decades. The impact of changing trend of alcohol depiction on the Indian viewers, especially young audience, needs further study.

Media portrayal of alcohol does not match its real harm effects in the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic ranks among countries with the highest alcohol consumption per capita. Several older studies discuss Czech media portrayal of health effects of alcohol, but we found no recent analysis of media portrayal of harms caused by alcohol consumption. Our analysis aims to fill this gap in. The dataset of texts (n = 903) consisting of articles from press, radio, television and the internet published within a 30-day interval in 2017 (Newton Media computerized database) was coded and analyzed using mixed quantitative and qualitative approach to content analysis. The frequency of references to acute and long-term alcohol harms of various types were counted, and the results were compared to the classification of (alcohol) harms by the Independent Scientific Committee of Drugs (ISCD). The short-term intoxication effects in the areas of crime and road safety, in particular reports on traffic accidents, are over-represented, while topics describing the impact of alcohol use on health, family and society, as well as economic costs or environmental issues seem to be marginal. That corresponds to the fact that police and courts were the information source in more than half of the articles, while information sourced from physicians, sociologists and drug field professionals was rather scarce. Media portrayal of the harms caused by alcohol use does not match up to real harm effects on the society. In terms of public health, it is imperative to strengthen media presentation of the impact of alcohol use on health and social issues.

Young Thai People's Exposure to Alcohol Portrayals in Society and the Media: A Qualitative Study for Policy Implications.

Although previous quantitative studies have documented the association between exposure to alcohol portrayals and drinking attitudes in Western countries, few qualitative studies have explored this matter in Thailand. A better understanding of the association in young Thais is required for a more efficient alcohol policy development. This study aims to explore the information young Thais have learnt from exposure to alcohol portrayals in society and the media, examine how this exposure shapes their drinking attitudes, and investigate the alignment of policy-makers' views on drinking with those of young people. Two qualitative research methods were employed. Seventy-two university students (38men, 34women) aged 20-24 participated in focus groups conducted on campus. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with academia, civil society and representatives from government who were involved in alcohol policy. Recorded data were transcribed verbatim, systematically coded and analysed using content analysis. Young Thais were regularly exposed to alcohol portrayals, particularly on social media and in their social environment. Being increasingly exposed to alcohol portrayals, particularly on social media, and the role of the alcohol industry emerged as concerning matters to the academia and civil society sectors. In response to the concerns, the government social media monitoring and alcohol censorship had become more challenging. This study reflects the growing concerns from academia and civil society sectors of the impacts of increased alcohol exposure and the role that the industry may have on young people's drinking attitudes. It highlights the need for response to significant policy challenges to reduce these impacts.

Tobacco and Alcohol on Television: A Content Analysis of Male Adolescents' Favorite Shows.

IntroductionMedia tobacco and alcohol portrayals encourage adolescent substance use. Preventing adolescent initiation with these substances is critical, as they contribute to leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Television tobacco and alcohol portrayals have not been examined for more than 7 years. This study analyzed tobacco and alcohol portrayals on adolescents’ favorite television shows and evaluated the rate of portrayals by parental rating.MethodsAdolescent males (N = 1,220) from Ohio reported 3 favorite television shows and how frequently they watch them. For each of the 20 most-watched shows in the sample, 9 episodes were randomly selected and coded for visual and verbal tobacco and alcohol incidents. Demographics of characters who used or interacted with the substances were recorded. Negative binomial regression modeled rates of tobacco and alcohol incidents per hour by parental rating.ResultsThere were 49 tobacco and 756 alcohol portrayals across 180 episodes. Characters using the products were mostly white, male, and adult. The rate of tobacco incidents per hour was 1.2 for shows rated TV-14 (95% CI, 0.4–3.6) and 1.1 for shows rated TV-MA (95% CI, 0.3–4.5). The estimated rate of alcohol incidents per hour was 20.9 for shows rated TV-14 (95% CI, 6.3–69.2) and 7.2 for shows rated TV-MA (95% CI, 1.5–34.1).ConclusionsAdolescent males’ favorite television shows rated TV-14 expose them to approximately 1 tobacco incident and 21 alcohol incidents per hour on average. Limiting tobacco and alcohol incidents on television could reduce adolescents’ risk of substance use.

To brand or not to brand a product placement? Evidence from a field study of two influence mechanisms of positive portrayals of alcohol in film.

We propose that branded and non-branded product placements in movies are interpreted differently and that a movie with unbranded alcohol portrayals influences audiences' alcohol-related beliefs and choices indirectly, through the process of narrative transportation, whereas a movie with branded alcohol placements impacts audiences' alcohol beliefs and choices via a more basic social-cognitive process of influence. Ordinary moviegoers (N = 758) attended a showing of The Snows of Kilimanjaro (2011) in a popular theatre in Tacna, Peru. Subjects were randomly assigned to watch the original movie, with branded alcohol portrayals, or a brand-free, control version. Reactions to the movie and alcohol-related beliefs were collected in a survey immediately after the film exposure and real beverage choices were measured. The findings reveal that exposure to unbranded positive portrayals of alcohol produces story-consistent beliefs and alcohol choices through the process of narrative transportation and that exposure to branded positive alcohol portrayals produces direct effects in terms of alcohol expectancies and brand choice, despite lowering narrative transportation. Although viewers disengage more from the characters, and experience lesser enjoyment and perceived realism when exposed to actual brands in a movie, they still hold positive alcohol expectancies and are more likely to select the placed brand, a process consistent with social cognitive theory. The findings suggest caution about the recommended policy of removing branding from alcohol placements, such as in the case with plain packaging in tobacco, and instead call for effective policies to constrain alcohol product placement, as was done with tobacco placements.

Mass Media as Alcohol Educator for Everyone? Effects of Portrayed Alcohol Consequences and the Influence of Viewers’ Characteristics

ABSTRACTMany correlative and experimental studies indicate that the portrayal of alcohol in the mass media impacts viewers’ alcohol expectancies, attitudes, and behaviors. Based on social cognitive theory, the portrayed consequences and the valence of the character experiencing these consequences are important to consider when investigating the portrayal of alcohol in the mass media. However, experimental studies manipulating character valence and consequences are scarce. This study presents an experimental examination of an adult sample, manipulating the occurrence of consequences (no consequences, positive consequences, and negative consequences), as well as character valence (a positive or negative character). We investigated the effects of media portrayals on positive and negative alcohol expectancies, as well as on attitudes toward alcohol. Furthermore, the moderating role of participants’ level of alcohol consumption was considered. We found main effects only on the negative alcohol expectancies, supporting the differentiation of alcohol expectancies and attitudes. However, the valence of the depicted character did not moderate the impact of the portrayed consequences. Interaction effects of participants’ individual levels of alcohol consumption and portrayals of consequences of alcohol consumption in the mass media were uncovered. This finding has important implications for further research and prevention efforts directed at risk groups.

Drinking at Work: The Portrayal of Alcohol in Workplace-Related TV Dramas

This study analyzed the portrayal of alcohol in the most popular workplace-related TV dramas. Based on social cognitive theory, we coded the extent and context of all alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage appearances as well as character-beverage interaction. Motivations to drink, topic, portrayed outcomes related to alcohol, and the characteristics of models associated with alcohol were also analyzed. More than 90% of the episodes contained depictions or references to alcohol. Although less alcohol was portrayed at the workplace compared to other locations, still nearly one third of all consumed beverages at work were alcoholic. Regardless of the location, character–beverage interaction was more likely for alcoholic than nonalcoholic beverages. The main motivation to drink alcohol was social ease, and only a few outcomes of alcohol consumption were presented. Overall, findings suggest that television dramas convey the image that alcohol at the workplace is ubiquitous, socially accepted, and without many serious consequences. Implications for mass communication and society are discussed.