What challenges do social media pose for efforts to regulate alcohol advertising marketing?
Order Description
Address the Question
The essay asks you to explain the role of social media users in naturalising drinking as a ‘normal’ and ‘pleasurable’ cultural pastime.
It asks you to explain how social media users now do the ‘work’ that has usually been associated with advertising.
The question IS NOT asking you to show that advertising causes binge drinking. DO NOT write an essay on how advertising makes young people drink.
Literature
Who are your key authors, and why are you using them?
What is the general argument of the piece you are using?
What are the specific ideas from this piece that you will use, and why are they important (a short quote here might be a good idea)?
e.g. Leiss Kline and Jhally on the idea that advertisers have always depended on active audiences,
Go into the secondary literature; do further reading in the areas of social media, identity and drinking.
Suggested reading Brodmerkel, Sven and Carah, Nicholas (2013) Alcohol brands on Facebook: the challenges of regulating brands on social media. Journal of Public Affairs
Think about Sample quote.
Case Study
Introduce your case study and explain how it illustrates the significance of the ideas introduced in step 2.
e.g. Ruddock and the way that cider advertising connects with students’ ideas about pleasure.
If you want a D or an HD, think about using your own case study.
Conclusion
Tell the reader how social media messages can normalise and glamourise drinking.
e.g. social media outsource advertising work in a way that helps naturalise common sense drinking appeals.
Reflect on the idea that what is at stake is the broader question of how societies communicate about alcohol in terms of traditions and identities.
or surprise me with something I haven’t thought about.