The researchers, who were based out of BYU, found that most mentions were of the “casual or joking manner” (who is seriously talking about Adderall over Twitter?). They also found that the tweets were most common around finals season and during the middle of the week. When Friday and Saturday rolls around, the chatter drops significantly.
Twitter also may be creating an environment in which college kids abuse Addy in higher numbers. From the Huffington Post:
The group of researchers from BYU wanted to examine how users discuss the drug in a public forum like Twitter because of the potential it can cause more students to abuse Adderall:
Because social media is, by its very nature, a social endeavor, the users’ postings can have a great impact on the social norms of others. This is particularly relevant in the context of drug abuse, where drug abuse behavior can be represented. Social norms theory suggests that individual behavior (eg, drug use) is influenced by individual perceptions of what is perceived as “normal” or “typical.”
By the way, the researchers' sample size was 132,099 college students who mentioned using Adderall over a five month period. 132,099! We're reaching a point where it'll be impossible for employers to not hire anyone who tweets something dumb.
[H/T: Huffington Post]
“