Many YouTube videos depict drinking in a humorous light, but a new study suggests they are overshadowing the videos that show drinking’s negative effects.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Brown University published Friday “Portrayal of Alcohol Intoxication on YouTube,” which analyzed the amount of views and likes for videos that showed alcohol consumption.
According to the study, almost 79 percent of the videos used humor, and about one-fifth of the videos featured games and attractive characters. Videos that had these characteristics received significantly more likes than videos that did not display humor, games or attractiveness.
However, videos that showed alcohol in relation to injury or aggression received less likes than videos that did not show these subjects.
“I think if anything, the videos make alcohol misuse and abuse seem like it’s not dangerous and that it’s part of having a good time, when In reality this type of behavior is dangerous if not potentially fatal,” Alicia Baker, a health promotions specialist at GatorWell, wrote in an email.
Other than injury and aggression, Baker said other risks of binge drinking include stunted brain development, liver damage, sexual and physical assault and property damage.
Based on data from GatorWell’s Fall 2013 CORE survey, about 78 percent of UF students consumed alcohol between Fall 2012 and 2013. However, there was a 2.6 percent decrease in annual prevalence of alcohol consumption by UF students between 2011 and 2013.
Baker said she thinks the impact of videos depicting poor drinking habits would depend on the person watching.
“I think if there’s already a chance that a person is starting to engage in drinking behavior or wants to fit in with that type of social scene, then I think there’s a chance their drinking behavior could change,” she said.
Jake Misura, 19, said he is not affected by the YouTube videos of people drinking.
He said that while the videos may influence some people, the negative drinking habits would still be there even if the videos did not exist.
“Even back before TV, I’m sure kids used to drink,” the UF mechanical engineering freshman said. “I guess just adults around them do it, and they want to follow in their steps. Peer pressure, maybe.”
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 2/25/2015 under the headline “Humorous drinking videos don’t show downside”]
