Assignment 1 Draft
Alexander Connelly
Professor Alshbasy
ENG160 Composition 1
12 September 2019
Alexander Connelly
1 Hawk Drive, Capen Hall 223
9/12/19
Recipients NameJohn
Smith
Designation Politician
AddressWashington, DC 22202
Dear Mr. Smith,
Personally, I have never had any desire to start vaping, however in recent times it seems more accessible and more accepted than ever. For me it is genuinely concerning coming to terms with the fact that many of my peers and close friends have been vaping for years, obtaining an addiction, all while not knowing the true and serious health risks that are at stake. We are in a generation where people haven’t been vaping for long enough to figure out the true and proven long term health effects from vaping. Being a recent high school graduate, myself and many others can agree there are few things more annoying than a school bathroom crowded full of kids vaping up a storm. Over the past few years it has seen to take on a new popularity and has mainly affected teens the most. At first vaping was meant to be targeted towards people trying to quit smoking, but it now seems as if teens who never smoked before are a main market for many vape companies. Why has vaping spiked in popularity in recent years? A large reason for this is advertising. According to the 2015 National Youth Tobacco Survey e-cigarette use among middle school and high schoolers has gone up from 780,00 students in 2013 to over 3 million students in 2015(Dai, Hao). If the amount of advertising directed towards teens were to be reduced, e-cigarette and nicotine use amongst teen would also be reduced.
While it can be argued that e-cigarette companies such as JUUL don’t intend to primarily advertise to the teen demographic, there is plenty of evidence suggesting adolescents are impacted the most by those advertisements because they are the most vulnerable and susceptible demographic make profit from. Because of this many e-cigarette companies have increased funding in their advertising campaigns. For example e-cigarette makers have spent an estimated $115 million in 2015 up from just $6.4 million in 2011 according to the National Youth Tobacco Survey(Dai, Hao). Many of these advertisements appear online,on TV, in magazines, and in stores. There are many factors that contribute to the fact that teens are the most susceptible and least skeptical to these advertisements. According to a research study conducted by the American Marketing Association their review indicates “adolescents tend to be more impulsive and self-conscious than adults because of the neurobiological changes that occur during this critical development period”(Pechmann 1). Because of this, many teens may feel more compelled to indulge in risky activities during a developmental period, in order to fulfill other needs. One of the largest and most influential needs a teen may have is the desire to fit in. Peer pressure plays perhaps the largest role in the widespread use of e-cigarettes amongst adolescents. “Adolescents often turn to peers to help them forge identities that are independent of their parents”(Pechmann 8). Because of this, many adolescents begin their e-cigarette use simply because their friends are doing it and they want to fit in with them. Another factor that demonstrates the fact that adolescents are more susceptible to manipulative advertising is their increased receptivity to image advertising. According to the American Marketing Association “brand-specific advertising expenditures has three times more influence on brand shares among adolescents than among adults”(Pechmann 9). For instance, if a teen sees an advertisement for JUUL, they will instantly recognize what it is and are more likely to pay attention to it because of its popularity and also the bright colors and flavours that are often portrayed. All these factors together create a scenario in which the teenage demographic is being influenced and manipulated by their peers and the advertisements they are exposed to.
While it can be argued that the use of e-cigarettes is indeed a healthier alternative for smokers trying to quit, there is no question that e-cigarettes are posing new and unnecessary health risks to adolescents who have never smoked before. Furthermore, there is some evidence to suggest that many teens and young adults convert to smoking cigarettes after staring with vaping. According to the Journal of Behavioral Medicine “certain models of e-cigarettes have been found to contain carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines and other harmful constituents”, such as formaldehyde and propylene glycol.(Pepper) Many people find solace in the fact that e-cigarettes are so easily accessible and encouraged in today’s society because they help people quit smoking real cigarettes. While this is true, many choose to ignore the fact that many people are starting to smoke cigarettes because of vaping. According to the Department of Health and Exercise Science “Among adolescents and young adults who were not established smokers, having tried an e-cigarette was associated with a willingness or openness to smoke cigarettes”(Cheney). With this in mind, it can make one question the true purpose for the existence of e-cigarettes today. Are these companies really trying to help smokers find a healthier alternative to smoking?, or are they trying to profit off of non smokers who are now developing a nicotine addiction because of vaping.
Overall, with these factors in mind, I think something needs to be done to stray away from advertising e-cigarettes and other nicotine products towards adolescents and young adults. There is no reason for this demographic to be exposed to theses products when you consider the implications they have on this new generation. The developing adolescent mind has a harder time to make informed decisions on these purchases when you consider the effects of peer pressure and their need to indulge in “risky” activities. Also the potential health risks involved with consuming these products is something scary to think about. For all we know the long-term effects of these products can be just as, if not, more severe than cigarettes. The technology simply hasn’t been around long enough to tell for sure. While the point that e-cigarettes help smokers find a healthy alternative is a strong one, it is apparent that these products are causing more problems than they’re solving in our generation.
Works Cited
Dai, Hongying, and Jianqiang Hao. “Exposure to Advertisements and Susceptibility to Electronic Cigarette Use Among Youth.” Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 59, no. 6, 2016, pp. 620–626., doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.013.
Pechmann, Cornelia, et al. “Impulsive and Self-Conscious: Adolescents’ Vulnerability to Advertising and Promotion.” Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, vol. 24, no. 2, 2005, pp. 202–221., doi:10.1509/jppm.2005.24.2.202.
Cheney, Marshall K., et al. “Electronic Cigarette Use in Straight-to-Work Young Adults.” American Journal of Health Behavior, vol. 40, no. 2, 2016, pp. 268–279., doi:10.5993/ajhb.40.2.12.
Pepper, Jessica K., et al. “How Risky Is It to Use e-Cigarettes? Smokers’ Beliefs about Their Health Risks from Using Novel and Traditional Tobacco Products.” Journal of Behavioral Medicine, vol. 38, no. 2, 2014, pp. 318–326., doi:10.1007/s10865-014-9605-2.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X16301598#bib4
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10865-014-9605-2https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X16301598#bib4