Hooked by design: how social media fuels alcohol harm

About this episode

The episode discusses how social media and digital marketing strategies contribute to alcohol harm, featuring insights from Professor Nicholas Carah.

On this month’s Alcohol Alert podcast, we spoke to Professor Nicholas Carah about the fast-evolving world of digital alcohol marketing - and why it matters. As debates intensify globally around social media regulation and even bans for young people, the conversation couldn’t be more timely. Professor Carah explains how digital platforms have transformed marketing into something far more powerful and personalised: “The more people participate, the more data they generate… you get this loop on digital that you didn’t have in earlier forms.” He also highlights the risks of highly targeted advertising for addictive products, noting that these systems are: “built to tune into who are the high-volume consumers and show them more ads.” The episode explores how this intersects with rapid delivery services, regulation challenges, and harm. Later this year, IAS will be publishing a film on digital alcohol marketing, continuing to shine a light on this critical issue. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit instalcstud.substack.com

People in this episode

Guest: Professor Nicholas Carah

Topics covered

• digital alcohol marketing
• social media regulation
• targeted advertising
• addictive products
• consumer data
• regulation challenges

Keywords

• alcohol marketing
• social media
• advertising
• addiction
• digital platforms
• consumer behavior
• regulation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Institute of Alcohol Studies

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