Recreational drugs have become extremely widespread in recent years. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, smoking embodied coolness and glamour of the early rock ‘n’ roll era; it was a symbol of social status. However, people soon after began to see the health risks of tobacco and turned against it with help from years of public health campaigns. It was believed that Generation Z would be the one to finally end cigarette smoking. As young adolescents, commercials consistently discouraged us from cigarette use and implemented the listed dangers in our minds. Society anticipated we would be the ones to finally put an end to cigarette smoking, but instead, the opposite happened.
Cigarettes as a trend promoted by celebrities prompted curiosity in people’s minds, leading them to explore smoking. According to the American Lung Association, one main reason teenagers and young-adults begin smoking is because of an intrinsic nature to try new things without weighing the long-term consequences.
Tobacco companies, specifically Marlboro, use a marketing technique known as lifestyle advertising which aims to convince people that there is a correlation between the product and consumer’s life. These advertisements portray smokers as cool and edgy, both of which entice teenagers to smoke cigarettes with the preconceived notion that they will eventually quit.
However, this impulsivity and carelessness is directly linked to naivety. Susan Whitbourne, psychology professor at UMass Amherst, says, “People think they can just do this [smoking] and it won’t affect them.” Whitbourne also stated that young non-smokers view themselves as immune to addiction and can experiment without any ramifications.
Phil Chamberlain, deputy director of the tobacco control research group at the University of Bath, says, “Younger smokers routinely underestimate the risks of smoking and overestimate their ability to stop.” Both Whitbourne and Chamberlain explain that one-time experimenting with substances can result in life-long ramifications, especially when influenced by friends.
The interests and habits of those we surround ourselves with often interweave into our lives consciously or subconsciously. BBC explains that “your brain is constantly picking up on cues from the people around you to inform your behavior.” An easy example is when a close friend begins using a particular phrase or slang word repeatedly, it will eventually make its way into your vocabulary. Therefore, repeated second-hand exposure to cigarette smoking eventually builds curiosity.
However, it isn’t just those who directly surround us that have an influence on our lifestyles. A recent study in the United Kingdom observed participants at the ages of 10-25 and how their relationship with social media correlated to smoking cigarettes and vaping. In the results, they found that those engaged with social media had a higher intake of these substances.
In another study, scientists found that there are two phenomena that can explain the findings from the studies in the United Kingdom. The first phenomenon being, “behavioral display,” which suggests that individuals will mimic their friends to be more socially desirable, but this can extend to social media and what is seen on their feed. The second phenomenon is “behavioral reinforcement,” whereby receiving immediate feedback of likes and comments via social media, adolescents will conform to become more socially desirable.
Through social media, teens and young adults are exposed to an environment where celebrities are becoming increasingly more transparent with their own personal substance usage. This past June, rising pop star Charli XCX released her new album “brat,” which was notably the album of the summer in setting new TikTok sounds and fashion trends, therefore attracting a big fanbase. When celebrating her 32 birthday, Charli XCX posted on Instagram a bouquet of cigarettes gifted to her by fellow singer Marina. Celebrities are publicizing their substance use to the extent that there is an Instagram account, “Cigfluencers” dedicated to celebrity smokers and self-described as “HOT PEOPLE keeping the art of SMOKING & BEING COOL alive…” This account specifically romanticizes and aestheticizes cigarette smoking to further gratify the appeal to its followers.
Despite decade-long anti-smoking campaigning, the resurgence of cigarette culture illustrates the complexities of influence—from personal relationships to social media. Moving forward, people need to understand the crucial social dynamics that come into play in cigarette culture and the influence it has on young people.
