Morally Driven and Emotionally Fueled: The Interactive Effects of Values and Emotions in the Social Transmission of Information Endorsing E-cigarettes

Authors

  • Jiaxi Wu Boston University
  • Yunwen Wang University of Southern California
  • Yusi Aveva Xu Fairbank Center, Harvard University
  • Jessica L. Fetterman Boston University School of Medicine
  • Traci Hong Boston University

Keywords:

Keywords, vaping, electronic cigarettes, moral foundations, emotion, social media, information transmission, Twitter

Abstract

Drawing upon the literature on moral foundations theory and the social transmission of information, our study investigated the effects of values and emotions on the sharing of pro-vaping messages on Twitter. Tweets (N = 9,542) containing top pro-vaping hashtags during the time of e-cigarette or vaping use–associated lung injury (EVALI) and the federal vape bans were analyzed. A lexicon-based machine classifier customized to vaping discourse and the NRC Word-Emotion Association Lexicon were used to produce the frequencies of moral and emotional words in the corpus. Mixed-effects hurdle negative binomial models were performed to predict the likelihood of a post receiving one and more retweets. Results showed that moral foundations, particularly Authority/subversion and Care/harm, and emotions of anger and sadness predicted the sharing of pro-vaping tweets. Interaction effects indicated that both emotions had a stronger effect on eliciting shares when a post contained lower levels of moral foundations. This study provides insights into the mechanism of how pro-vaping messages are amplified on Twitter, emphasizing the roles of moral values and emotions in enabling the process.  

Author Biographies

Jiaxi Wu, Boston University

Jiaxi Wu is a doctoral candidate in Emerging Media Studies at the College of Communication at Boston University. Her research interests include health communication, media psychology, and social media analytics. Her research involves assessing tobacco promotions on social media and how such promotions may disproportionately target and influence youth and underrepresented populations. She is a fellow of the American Heart Association’s Tobacco Center for Regulatory Sciences.Phone#: (617)415-8518

Yunwen Wang, University of Southern California

Yunwen Wang is a doctoral candidate in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Her research examines communication on controversial health topics and the role of emerging information technology on impacting consumers’ mental and physical health. Her recent research examines opinion polarization and moralization around the use and regulation of electronic cigarettes.

Yusi Aveva Xu, Fairbank Center, Harvard University

Yusi Xu received her Ph.D. in Health Communication from the University of Southern California. Her research focuses on the complexities of how socio-structural and cultural contexts impact individuals’ health-related decisions among under-served populations, particularly in China or among Chinese immigrants.

Jessica L. Fetterman, Boston University School of Medicine

Dr. Fetterman is a basic and translational scientist studying the intersections of mitochondrial physiology, mitochondrial genetic epidemiology, and cardiovascular disease. Her work focuses on the contribution of mitochondrial genetic variation and abnormalities to cardiovascular disease in the presence of risk factors, including tobacco product use and diabetes.

Traci Hong, Boston University

Traci Hong is an Associate Professor at the College of Communication at Boston University. Her program of research is on new media effects and processes, particularly in the context of risky health behaviors such as smoking, vaping, and alcohol. Her most recent research employs social media analysis to make assessments pertinent to vaping behavior and policy. She serves on the Greater Boston Board of Directors of the American Heart Association.

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Published

2023-01-29

Issue

Vol. 17 (2023)

Section

Articles

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