Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: a qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers

Abstract

Background Vaping is a relatively new practice, and therefore its symbolic meanings and social practices are yet to be fully understood, especially within Australia where the practice is strictly regulated. This study aimed to examine vapers motivations for use, reinforcing influences, and association with the vaper subculture. Methods Working from a constructivist epistemology and a symbolic interaction framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 37 current (89%) and former (11%) adult vapers, 70% male, mean age of 32.5. Data was analysed via thematic analysis. Results Vapers largely started vaping to quit smoking and underwent common experiences during their initiation phase. Subsequently, vapers tended to adopt one of two dominant identities, that of the ‘cloud chaser’ or the ‘substitute’, which some users moved between during different stages of their vaping career. The social and symbolic meaning of e-cigarettes and vaping varied and involved concepts of harm reduction, addiction, pleasure, stigma and community, and for some, connection to the vaper subculture. Conclusions Understanding the complexities of vaping, and the nuanced differences of ‘cloud chasers’ and ‘substitute’ vapers may have important implications for health communication, research and policy. E-cigarette users within this sample were not a homogeneous group and differed in their motivations for use, association with the vaper subculture and relationship with the vape community. These findings provide new insights into the socialisation process and subsequent identity adoption of vapers within the unique regulatory environment of Western Australia.

Vaping among youth: reasons, realization and intention to quit

“…Eventually, smokers relying on vaping realize that vaping is also harmful and may intend to quit for good. This argument is supported by research that suggests that users cite smoking cessation as a major reason for vaping (McNeill et al, 2021;Walker et al, 2020;McCausland et al, 2020;Rutten et al, 2015;Evans-Polce et al, 2018), with an aim to ultimately reduce nicotine dependence (Farrimond, 2017). In summary, users who vape as an alternative to smoking are on the verge of reducing nicotine dependence and are likely to realize that vaping is also bad for their health and eventually have a higher intention to quit vaping.…”

Inhaled or Ingested, Which Is Worse, E-Vaping or High-Fat Diet?

“…After e-cigarettes gained popularity, overweight individuals are more likely to vape nicotine containing e-fluids, aiming to lose or control their body weights ( 6 , 7 ), including adolescents ( 8 ). On the other hand, nicotine-free e-cigarettes have also been used by those who never smoked and ex-smokers who have quit tobacco by using nicotine-containing e-cigarettes as a ‘cloud chaser’ or “vaper” ( 13 . However, the health impacts of nicotine-free e-cigarettes are less known compared to nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, which have been studied in both human and animal models.…”

“…However, in recent years, e-cigarettes have gained significant popularity amongst younger people, albeit the latest report on acute lung injury and death in the US ( 11 , 12 ). While nicotine-containing e-cigarettes have been used to satisfy a nicotine addiction, even among those who never used tobacco cigarettes, nicotine-free e-cigarettes have also been largely used recreationally by ‘cloud chasers’ ( 13 ).…”

Vaping liquid flavour preferences, oral nicotine pouch and cannabis use: A survey of participants in the 2019 Oceania Vape Expo

“…There has been a history of enigmatic (Soule et al, 2017) and unethical (see Chen et al, 2017) research (e.g., a paper by Bhatta and Glantz (2019), which was published and then withdrawn from the Journal of the American Heart Association), which has misrepresented the significance of research at vape conventions (Phillips, 2016), and on vapers more generally (Siegel, 2015;McCausland et al, 2020). To ensure integrity of this research, a typical informed consent statement was used, and respondents had to affirm consent to participate in the survey.…”