Vaping Trends Unveiled: What Twitter Reveals About E-Cigarettes and Your Health

Jordan Keane in Health & Wellness August 2025 • 5 min read.

"Explore the surprising connections between e-cigarette discussions on Twitter, public health policies, and how this impacts your choices."

As traditional cigarette use declines, electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, have surged in popularity, transforming how people consume nicotine. The e-cigarette market, estimated at $15 billion in 2017, is projected to reach $48 billion by 2023, marking a remarkable 27.3% growth rate. This shift is largely fueled by the pervasive presence of e-cigarettes in online and social media spaces, offering unprecedented marketing and promotional opportunities.

Social media platforms allow for more relaxed regulations than traditional media, leading to promotional activities, product reviews, and user-generated content that can easily reach younger audiences. Studies have shown e-cigarette discussions and marketing on platforms like blogs, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. While these studies identify themes and marketing messages, a deeper investigation is needed to understand the prevalence of these activities versus other types of e-cigarette communication.

Examining e-cigarette mentions across different online media channels is essential. The study aims to determine the prevalence of e-cigarette themes on Twitter, to identify their dissemination patterns, and to examine their associations with mentions in online news articles and search engine queries. By addressing these goals, the research seeks to provide a comprehensive view of the online presence of e-cigarettes and their implications for public health.

Decoding E-Cigarette Conversations: A Twitter Analysis

E-cigarette vapor turning into social media icons, representing online discussions.

A detailed analysis of 59,147 tweets was conducted to categorize e-cigarette discussions into five key themes: promotion, health, policy, product evaluation, and price. This classification helped reveal the most prevalent topics and how they changed over time. Social network analysis (SNA) was then used to map how these themes spread and connect with one another. Finally, the study correlated these themes with e-cigarette mentions in online news articles and Google search queries to understand their broader impact.

The research was conducted during a period of significant policy change in South Korea, specifically the announcement and implementation of a cigarette tax increase. This timeline allowed the researchers to observe how public discussions and search behaviors evolved in response to these policy changes. The data was divided into three phases: the announcement phase (September to December 2014), the enforcement phase (January to March 2015), and the maintenance phase (April to December 2015).

Product Evaluation Dominates: Product evaluation emerged as the most prevalent theme in e-cigarette tweets, highlighting the importance of user reviews and experiences in shaping public perception.
Promotion Peaks Post-Tax Increase: The promotion theme saw the most significant increase after the implementation of the tax increase, suggesting a potential marketing response to the policy change.
Health Tweets Connect Broadly: Health-themed tweets showed the strongest connections with other themes, indicating that health concerns are central to many e-cigarette discussions.
Product Evaluation Drives Searches: Tweets focused on product evaluation had the strongest correlation with search engine queries, emphasizing the role of online discussions in driving information-seeking behavior.

The study revealed interesting dynamics between the different themes. For example, promotion-themed tweets were the least connected with other themes, while health-themed tweets showed the most connections. This suggests that promotional content often exists in its own bubble, while health-related discussions are more integrated into broader conversations. The analysis of retweet patterns further highlighted these differences, with promotional tweets having a higher average retweet count but less diverse engagement.

Implications and Future Directions

This research provides valuable insights into the online dynamics of e-cigarette discussions and their relationship to public health policies and consumer behavior. The findings underscore the importance of monitoring social media for both promotional and user-generated content related to e-cigarettes. Future research should explore these dynamics in other social contexts and examine the causal relationships between online discussions and real-world outcomes, such as changes in smoking behavior and public health.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1080/10410236.2018.1536952, Alternate LINK

Title: Electronic Cigarette Themes On Twitter: Dissemination Patterns And Relations With Online News And Search Engine Queries In South Korea

Subject: Communication

Journal: Health Communication

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Authors: Hye-Jin Paek, Hyunmi Baek, Saerom Lee, Thomas Hove

Published: 2018-10-29

Everything You Need To Know

What key themes were identified in the Twitter analysis of e-cigarette discussions, and how did this classification help in understanding the online conversation?

The Twitter analysis categorized e-cigarette discussions into five key themes: promotion, health, policy, product evaluation, and price. By classifying tweets into these themes, researchers could identify the most prevalent topics, observe changes over time, and understand how these themes connect. Social network analysis (SNA) further mapped how these themes spread and interact. Missing from this categorization is a more granular analysis of the specific types of promotions used or the health effects discussed, which could provide deeper insights.

What was the most prevalent theme observed in e-cigarette related tweets, and what does this reveal about public perception and information seeking?

The most prevalent theme in e-cigarette related tweets was product evaluation. This prevalence highlights the importance of user reviews and experiences in shaping public perception of e-cigarettes. However, this doesn't capture the entire picture. While product evaluation drives searches, it doesn't necessarily translate to informed decisions, as the evaluations might be biased or incomplete. Also unaddressed is how these product evaluations differ across various e-cigarette brands and devices.

How did health-themed tweets connect with other themes in the e-cigarette discussions, and what does this suggest about the role of health concerns?

Health-themed tweets showed the strongest connections with other themes, indicating that health concerns are central to many e-cigarette discussions. This suggests that health is a key factor influencing conversations around e-cigarettes. However, the study doesn't delve into the specific health concerns discussed, such as respiratory issues, nicotine addiction, or long-term effects. A deeper analysis could reveal the accuracy and impact of the health information being shared.

How did the implementation of a tax increase impact the promotion of e-cigarettes on Twitter, and what does this suggest about marketing strategies?

Following the tax increase in South Korea, the promotion theme saw the most significant increase in e-cigarette related tweets. This indicates a potential marketing response to the policy change, with companies possibly using social media to counteract the effects of the tax. The study does not explore the specific promotional strategies employed during this period or their effectiveness in reaching different demographics. Further research could examine the types of promotions used and their impact on sales and consumer behavior.

How were e-cigarette themes correlated with online news articles and search engine queries, and what does this reveal about the broader impact of online discussions on information seeking?

The Twitter analysis correlated e-cigarette themes with mentions in online news articles and Google search queries to understand their broader impact. Tweets focused on product evaluation had the strongest correlation with search engine queries, emphasizing the role of online discussions in driving information-seeking behavior. What's missing is an understanding of the quality of information users find through these searches. Are they finding reliable health information, or are they primarily encountering marketing content? Furthermore, the study doesn't explore whether increased search queries translate to changes in e-cigarette usage or public health outcomes.