Thesis Thesis on differences between traditional drug use sites (BL) and large emerged sites (Reddit)

“For example, one study found ten times as many active users in a small selection of subreddits than on the entire Bluelight discussion forum (Adams et al., 2019).”

Will read this over the next few days.
 
arrall said:
@neversickanymore Can you give me a TL;DR?
I like studies, but I'm not reading 400 pages of anything that isn't a book or an organic chemistry textbook if I don't have to.
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sure I will throw some quotes that should give the main conclusions. Im still reading at this point.

Skorpio said:
Here's my thesis: Bluelight gud Reddit bad. Give me phd now!
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They have some conclusions like this. you have been awarded a Honorary Phd from the non religious institute of religious studies.
 
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MsDiz said:
“For example, one study found ten times as many active users in a small selection of subreddits than on the entire Bluelight discussion forum (Adams et al., 2019).”

Will read this over the next few days.
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Hey Diz.. good to see you!!
 
neversickanymore said:
sure I will throw some quotes that should give the main conclusions. Im still reading at this point. Its interesting they are still giving a explanatory preamble at page 42.. I have never been more prepared for a thesis.. If they get sick of research I believe they could be the best technical writer of directions on the planet.. there is no way I couldn't put that thing together and operate it.
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I’m at page 99 and you’ve summed it up well so far! 😂
 
Chapter 11 draws together the findings of Research paper #3 and Research paper #4 in an extended discussion that was not possible within the limitations of the research paper format. This includes a discussion of how the findings of these two papers contribute towards the aims of the thesis and contributes to the literature in general. It is argued that these findings show that the online development and dissemination of illicit drugs practices is embedded in a very particular online social environment which is not common to all online platforms, but rather is specific to the older, specialist discussion forums that used to be the main location of online illicit drug discussions and which have informed most of the literature on this phenomenon. This social environment is characterised by community-like interactions, which involve intense, consistent and broad participation as well as a cohesive social structure. This type of online social environment entails long-running discussions, reliability for obtaining input on specific queries, and the development of a shared illicit drugs ethos. It is further argued that the findings show that this type of social environment is not present in illicit drugs discussions on reddit, and that this is an important factor in accounting for the lower prevalence of discussions of practice. Thus, illicit drugs discussions on reddit represent a break from, rather than a continuation of, past iterations of such discussions. As reddit is now one of the main locations of online illicit drugs discussion, these findings imply that the role of online platforms in shaping illicit drug trends is not what it used to be, and that reddit has a limited capacity to foster the online development and
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dissemination of illicit drugs practices, including online indigenous harm reduction.
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MsDiz said:
I’m at page 99 and you’ve summed it up well so far! 😂
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No need to brag genius.. I already feel jealous
 
An important reason for the preference of indigenous online content and online peer environments is the fundamental incompatibility between dominant non-indigenous illicit drugs discourses, which typically revolve around the imperative of abstinence or treatment (Moore, 2008; O’Malley and Valverde, 2016), and the desire among most people involved with illicit drugs to find applicable information that will support them in initiating, continuing or expanding their illicit drug practices in safe and pleasurable ways. Within this discursive schism, online platforms such as discussion forums can function as technologies of resistance by providing a counter-hegemonic discursive space where subjugated, indigenous illicit
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drugs discourses can be expressed (Barratt et al., 2013; Walsh, 2011). People involved with illicit drugs have appropriated discussion forums to facilitate a type of peer interaction which lies in the intersection of counter-public health (Barratt et al., 2014; Race, 2009) and ‘citizen science’ (Duxbury, 2015), and allows for the development and dissemination of folk pharmacology (Southgate and Hopwood, 2001) and indigenous harm reduction practices (Van Hout and Hearne, 2015). Thus, there is both a pragmatic and a symbolic dimension to the attraction of online platforms among people involved with illicit drugs. The pragmatic dimension revolves around the value of online illicit drugs knowledge exchange among peers in light of the general unwillingness of conventional health authorities to provide accurate and applicable information about safer illicit drug consumption (Duff, 2004). The symbolic dimension of this attraction has to do with the less judgemental representation of illicit drugs practices inherent to indigenous discourses shared in online peer environments, which stands in contrast to the widespread stigmatisation of such practices in mainstream discourses (Barratt and Maddox, 2016). This is further underpinned by the anonymity or pseudonymity afforded by online browsing and online platforms, which can serve to diminish the threat of the various social and legal risks associated with public disclosure of involvement with illicit drugs (Barratt, 2011).
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Tron is all over this
 
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comparison of several online platforms with illicit drugs content, they demonstrate a considerable variation in which types of illicit drugs practices are considered acceptable objects of harm reduction. For example, administration via injection is outright rejected on some platforms, where the users refuse to provide harm reduction advice on injection, despite the fact that it is clearly possible to reduce the potential harms of injecting substances, e.g. through purity testing and needle hygiene (Boothroyd and Lewis, 2016). There will likely be other platforms where the users will be more willing to provide such advice, but the fact that this is not universal illustrates that online platforms with illicit drugs content are characterised by ethical differences. Thus, the individuals and groups who are active on these online platforms typically engage in some level of boundary work, e.g. notions of ‘us’ and ‘them’ (Bilgrei, 2017). This means that the notions of harm reduction that are developed and disseminated on these platforms are not absolute and incontestable truths; they are instead deeply embedded in social and cultural norms.
This social embedding underpins the usefulness of social learning theory for understanding the online knowledge exchange and harm reduction practices of people involved with illicit drugs.
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Tronica features quite a lot indeed.

Chapter 9. Research paper #3 is quite interesting!

“In comparison to Bluelight, reddit scored lower in almost every measure of subforum participation and user interaction. The findings indicate that participation in illicit drugs discussions on reddit is generally less frequent and less consistent, and that user interaction is less pervasive and cohesive. This suggests that the particular type of online social environment which has fostered the development and dissemination of illicit drugs practices on Bluelight and similar specialist discussion forums is not present on reddit.”
 
MsDiz said:
“In comparison to Bluelight, reddit scored lower in almost every measure of subforum participation and user interaction. The findings indicate that participation in illicit drugs discussions on reddit is generally less frequent and less consistent, and that user interaction is less pervasive and cohesive. This suggests that the particular type of online social environment which has fostered the development and dissemination of illicit drugs practices on Bluelight and similar specialist discussion forums is not present on reddit.”
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I think that this is fairly predictable given Reddit's younger audience, comparative lack of harm reduction, and the general lack of collaboration with researchers in most drug subreddits.

We may be able to use this paper to help us develop strategies to better execute our ongoing expansion to Reddit with the recent opening of /r/bluelight.
 
arrall said:
I think that this is fairly predictable given Reddit's younger audience, comparative lack of harm reduction, and the general lack of collaboration with researchers in most drug subreddits.

We may be able to use this paper to help us develop strategies to better execute our ongoing expansion to Reddit with the recent opening of /r/bluelight.
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Reddit's main problem is that once a thread is gone after a couple of days, it stays gone, you can search for it but it'll never get revived again!
You also don't see if there's any new comments in a thread or something.

Reddit is best suited to quick questions and answers when it comes to drugs, and some FAQ type stuff if it's all easily linked somewhere.
 
Buzz Lightbeer said:
Reddit's main problem is that once a thread is gone after a couple of days, it stays gone, you can search for it but it'll never get revived again!
You also don't see if there's any new comments in a thread or something.

Reddit is best suited to quick questions and answers when it comes to drugs, and some FAQ type stuff if it's all easily linked somewhere.
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Reddit also seems more anecdotal and opinion based in general, not much pharmacological or other data is discussed. At least from my observations.
 
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