Youth Drinking Cultures in a Digital World

Book excerpt: Social media has helped boost the culture of intoxication, a central aspect of young people’s social lives in many Western countries. Initial research suggests that these technologies enable highly-nuanced, targeted marketing and innovations – creating new virtual spaces that alter the dynamics and consequences of drinking cultures in significant ways. Youth Drinking Cultures in a Digital World focuses on how pervasive social networking technologies contribute to drinking cultures. It brings together international contributions from leading researchers in this emerging field to explore how new technologies are reconfiguring the key themes, traditional interests, practices and concerns of alcohol-related research with young people. It is particularly concerned with three important areas, namely: identities, social relations and power alcohol marketing and commercialisation public health and regulating alcohol promotion. This innovative book includes original research and commentary and is a must-read for academics and researchers in the areas of public health, psychology, sociology, media studies, youth studies and alcohol studies.