Investigating Substance Use via Reddit: Systematic Scoping Review

Abstract

Background Reddit’s (Reddit Inc) large user base, diverse communities, and anonymity make it a useful platform for substance use research. Despite a growing body of literature on substance use on Reddit, challenges and limitations must be carefully considered. However, no systematic scoping review has been conducted on the use of Reddit as a data source for substance use research. Objective This review aims to investigate the use of Reddit for studying substance use by examining previous studies’ objectives, reasons, limitations, and methods for using Reddit. In addition, we discuss the implications and contributions of previous studies and identify gaps in the literature that require further attention. Methods A total of 7 databases were searched using keyword combinations including Reddit and substance-related keywords in April 2022. The initial search resulted in 456 articles, and 227 articles remained after removing duplicates. All included studies were peer reviewed, empirical, available in full text, and pertinent to Reddit and substance use, and they were all written in English. After screening, 60 articles met the eligibility criteria for the review, with 57 articles identified from the initial database search and 3 from the ancestry search. A codebook was developed, and qualitative content analysis was performed to extract relevant evidence related to the research questions. Results The use of Reddit for studying substance use has grown steadily since 2015, with a sharp increase in 2021. The primary objective was to identify tendencies and patterns in various types of substance use discussions (52/60, 87%). Reddit was also used to explore unique user experiences, propose methodologies, investigate user interactions, and develop interventions. A total of 9 reasons for using Reddit to study substance use were identified, such as the platform’s anonymity, its widespread popularity, and the explicit topics of subreddits. However, 7 limitations were noted, including the platform’s low representativeness of the general population with substance use and the lack of demographic information. Most studies use application programming interfaces for data collection and quantitative approaches for analysis, with few using qualitative approaches. Machine learning algorithms are commonly used for natural language processing tasks. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications and contributions of the included articles are summarized and discussed. The most prevalent practical implications are investigating prevailing topics in Reddit discussions, providing recommendations for clinical practices and policies, and comparing Reddit discussions on substance use across various sources. Conclusions This systematic scoping review provides an overview of Reddit’s use as a data source for substance use research. Although the limitations of Reddit data must be considered, analyzing them can be useful for understanding patterns and user experiences related to substance use. Our review also highlights gaps in the literature and suggests avenues for future research.

Examining the Gateway Hypothesis and Mapping Substance Use Pathways on Social Media: Machine Learning Approach

“…Past research has suggested that Reddit is a popular social media platform well suited for substance-related research due to its large number of users with diverse backgrounds, which facilitates longitudinal data analysis and insights into the evolving nature of substance use and discussions [ 30 ]. Various studies have indicated that engaging in substance-related discussions can be a strong marker of an individual’s experience with substance use [ 26 , 28 , 31 ].…”

“…Various studies have indicated that engaging in substance-related discussions can be a strong marker of an individual’s experience with substance use [ 26 , 28 , 31 ]. For our data set, we focus on Reddit, a prevalent social media platform where individuals can anonymously participate in topic-centered communities known as “subreddits.” Each subreddit operates under its own set of rules to moderate posts and comments, offering unfiltered discussions with less interference from overarching platform policies, distinguishing Reddit as an ideal platform for analysis of substance-related conversations [ 30 ]. On Reddit, there are various subreddits dedicated to discussing different substances, such as cannabis, cocaine, and fentanyl, as well as behaviors associated with these substances, such as active misuse, harm reduction, and recovery.…”

Endometriosis Online Communities: A Quantitative Analysis

“…This indicates that, although OHCs often include patients that are typically excluded from clinical trials (such as those with multiple conditions), studying these communities is useful to understand patient populations [51]. Indeed, content analysis of these communities reveals patterns across patients' experiences of care and symptoms [52][53][54][55] and OHC members' expertise in providing support to peers could be leveraged to deliver healthcare interventions and programs [41,43,50,56].…”

Investigating self-reported compensation strategies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder on Reddit: An analysis of user content from 2012-2023 with a focus on trends during COVID-19 (Preprint)

“…We envisaged that we would identify a wider array of symptom management techniques on r/ADHD than earlier work using conventional research designs (e.g., qualitative interviews and psychometric assessments), which would require expanded categorization. This was informed by the anonymous nature of r/ADHD in allowing for open and instantaneous exchanges, as has been noted for various subreddits [31]. Equally, the inclusion of longitudinal data up to 2023 might have captured emerging strategies or social shifts not represented in earlier, cross-sectional analyses.…”

“…Reddit and r/ADHD dynamics Several community-specific factors could have influenced the types of compensation strategies represented on r/ADHD. Notably, the anonymous nature of Reddit allows for candid dialogues [31]. Yet, it is conceivable that users remained reluctant to describe certain compensation strategies on a publicly-accessible platform, albeit under a pseudonymous username.…”