Young People’s Voices Regarding the Use of Social Networking Sites to Plan for a Night Out Where Alcohol Is Involved

‘90 per cent of the time when I have had a drink in my hand I’m on my phone as well’: A cross-national analysis of communications technologies and drinking practices among young people

“…Phones and apps were central to how young people planned social events, mobilised themselves and their networks, and engaged in a range of social practices (including drinking). Indeed, as others have noted, phones have become a central feature of a 'night out', from organisation (pre-event) to drinking (event) to story-telling afterwards (postevent) (Hennell et al, 2020;Hutton et al, 2021). Here, they allowed young people to designate drinking as a central practice in events and made some drinking events more accessible.…”

“…Using practice theory can help unpack how communications technologies afford opportunities and challenges that may shape drinking. For example, we know phones and the internet are central to how young people meet up and organise a 'night out' with alcohol (Hutton et al, 2021), but can also transform the meaning of drinking practices, creating new risks, restrictions, and ways of self-managing (Brown and Gregg, 2012;Caluzzi et al, 2021b;Törrönen et al, 2020). However, practice theory enables us to examine the embedded role of technologies, including how it influences the meanings and values associated with drinking, when and where drinking occurs, and how drinking becomes bundled within broader sequences of practices.…”

“…This allowed young people to extend a 'night out' with alcohol or return home when they wanted. Hutton et al (2021) also note that removing the requirement of a designated driver increases opportunities for collective drinkingi.e., having "a good night out" together. However, ridesharing services were also a collective way to save money or enact care -"if someone [drunk] needs to get home you would call like an Uber or a taxi or something and then take them off" (Bea, 19, woman, UK).…”