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Evaluative Summary
Kenneth Hau
Intro to Psychology 2301
Dr. Brinkley
Fall 2014

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Researchers investigated the validity of references to alcohol use and
intoxication/problem drinking on using Facebook profiles (Moreno, Christakis, Egan,
Brockman, & Becker, 2010). The selection of profiles consisted of active users whom
were between 18-20 years, which are screened and analyzed by AUDIT.
With a target size of 200 participants, 307 Facebook profiles owners were invited
to participate in the study. By categorizing online profiles into a research codebook,
(Moreno et al, 2012) profiled users for a year and categorized each into 1 of 3 groups
from low to high alcoholic indicators: nondisplayers, Alcohol Displayers, and I/PD
Displayers. In 2012, Moreno et al used AUDIT, an online survey, which is a 10-question
scale assessing consumption, dependence, and harm or consequences of alcohol use.
With a focus on AUDIT scores of 8 or higher, 35.4% of participants were
considered at risk of a drinking problem. The higher the AUDIT score, the more
correlation there was with I/PD Displayers on Facebook. The results were
significant, identifying a trend pattern for preventative alcoholic interventions. In the
study, Moreno et al discovered that men were nearly twice as likely to display
alcoholic references than women.
The study is limited because individuals were profiled from only one social
network, Facebook. In addition to common limitations, privacy concerns and ethics
particularly hinder the success of this type of research. Perhaps a more widespread
sample size, in depth consent would help further this particular study. If there is indeed
an a positive correlation between alcoholic references on social media with alcohol
associated problems in reality, this method could be a valuable preventative measure in
identifying and controlling alcohol problems.

References

Moreno, M. A., Christakis, D. A., Egan, K. G., Brockman, L. N., & Becker, T. (2012).
Associations between displayed alcohol references on Facebook and problem
drinking among college students. Archives Of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine, 166(2), 157-163. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.180