Triple spirals? A three-wave panel study on the longitudinal associations between social media use and young individuals' alcohol consumption

The present longitudinal study (N = 596, M-age at baseline = 16.96, SD =.78) combines an interdependent social media effects approach with Slater's reinforcing spirals model. As such, it is the first study to test a triple spiral between self-sharing of and exposure to alcohol-related content on social media, self-sharing and drinking behavior, and exposure and drinking behavior. We thereby differentiate between within-level and between-level relationships using a random intercepts cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM). The results indicate that there is a positive significant relationship between sharing, exposure, and consumption at the between-person level: Across waves, individuals who reported higher alcohol consumption also reported more frequent self-sharing, and those who reported more frequent self-sharing also reported more frequent exposure. Within-person change in self-sharing, exposure, and consumption are associated cross-sectionally, but these relationships do not endure over time. These results demonstrate that alcohol-related communication on social media effects may reflect a subgroup of heavy drinking adolescents who also share about their drinking behavior.