Young Adults and Online Drinking Identities

Regular use of social media platforms is central to young people’s drinking practices. In recent years the widespread availability of smartphones has led to an intensification of social media use. Research demonstrates that social media are central to young people’s processes of identity construction and their drinking practices. Contemporary online drinking cultures include a diverse range of activities, such as posting and sharing photos and videos of drinking occasions, organising social events, socialising online while preloading in different locations, commenting and tagging on alcohol-related content, hashtagging and communicating about alcohol-sponsored events, and taking up promotions. While these virtual spaces provide important ways through which young adults craft and actively create their own identities, how this plays out varies across dimensions such as gender, class and ethnicity.