Assessing Drinking Norms from Attending Drinking Events and Social Network Site Use

Abstract

This study compares how exposure to drinking information on social network sites (SNSs) and attending drinking events are related to college students’ perceived drinking norms. A two-wave online survey using a national sample (N = 151) was conducted. While exposure to drinking information on SNSs was positively related to perceived injunctive drinking norms, attending drinking events was positively associated with perceived descriptive drinking norms. In addition, attention to social comparison information was positively related to both drinking norms and moderated the relationship between attending drinking events and both norms. This study extends the research on social norms and new technology, and suggests implications about how to incorporate new media into drinking campaigns.