Study about Social Media and the Impact on Alcohol Consumption in Public University, Western Amazon City, Brazil

The present study aims to analyze the frequency of visualization of alcoholic content in the Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, patterns of consumption, reasons that lead them to drink, most used social network and to correlate how often the users are ex- posed to alcoholic publications, determining if there was an important link between individual drinking practice during the beginning period and six months later. This is a descriptive study of quantitative approach, developed at the Federal University of Rondônia located in the Western Amazon. The information was obtained through the application of ques- tionnaires for incoming students of the freshmen semester, in two moments: a period from August to December 2016/2, and, asking the same students again, from March to June 2017/1. 52.8% were males in 2016/2 and 57, 9% of females in 2017/1 with age ranging between 18 and 20 years in both periods. Facebook has proven to be the most used platform among college students. In 2016/2, 63.9% reported seeing alcohol content at Facebook and consuming that substance, comparing to Instagram with 70.4%, and to Snapchat with 74.1%. In 2017/2, academics reporting viewing alcoholic content on Facebook and consuming those alcoholic beverages accounted for 65.8%, compared to Instagram, 74.1% and Snapchat 74.4%. “Celebrating a special occasion with friends” is the most cited reason of why claim to consume alcohol. The majority of students considered the relationship between exposure to the alcohol content of virtual media and their network of friends undetectable, as they do not consider themselves exposed.

Many university students start the graduation already consuming alcoholic substances, which explains why there is no significant change in alcohol consumption between the observed moments, although it was found a relationship between the visualization of alcohol content in social networks and consumption, with greater impact on Snapchat.