Healthy Electric Cigarette Campaign on Instagram Account @ypkpindonesia

Abstract

Tobacco use is the culmination of health problems throughout the world. The number of e-cigarettes users in the world continues to increase. Various media are filled with cigarette campaigns that make smoking considered as a normal activity. Instagram account @ypkpindonesia that conducted ecigarettes campaign is owned by Yayasan Pemerhati Kesehatan Publik (YPKP) Indonesia which is a health Non-Government Organization (NGO). This research aims to reveal the games of truth of e-cigarettes campaign based on relation of power knowledge on @ypkpindonesia Instagram account. The result revealed that, through content of @ypkpindonesia account, YPKP conducted the game of truth in healthy e-cigarettes discourse by utilizing the power and knowledge about health science. The games of truth were shown by presenting the information that supports the organization's goal to promote ecigarettes. They emphasized that tar and smoke from conventional cigarettes are dangerous and deadly. While ecigarettes are less harm because it's heated tobacco product while conventional cigarettes are burned and produce smoke. They stated that e-cigarettes as a technological breakthrough in the health sector that has the potential to extend the life of cigarette consumer and those people around them. They confirmed that nicotine on e-cigarettes causes addiction but does not trigger various diseases which commonly mentioned in cigarette packs. They recommend smokers to start using ecigarette because it's lower risk. They expanded power on theirs campaigns of e-cigarettes by involving influential parties, such as: health experts, researchers, academics, religious leaders, etc. The discourse of healthy e-cigarettes is used to support the ecigarettes industry. Meanwhile, the discourse of smoking cessation was marginalized.