Youth, Technology, and the Proliferation of Drug Use

Texas A&M University System, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): Several drugs, popularly used by adolescents at dance parties, raves, and clubs, have been shown to be a serious health concern to medical researchers. MDMA (ecstasy), Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), Rohypnol, Methamphetamine, Ketamine, and Gammahydroxybutyrate (GBH) are substances generally labeled "club drugs." Such drugs, while not necessarily new, have gained recent popularity though use at raves. The impact of these drugs on the health of youth has been researched in recent decades. While results are mixed, studies do suggest that ecstasy in particular may be associated with convulsions, cardiac and pulmonary problems, hypothermia, and in rare instances, death. However, ecstasy and other club drugs are most dangerous when used in combination. According to a recent SAMHSA Dawn Report, most medical emergency incidents involving club drugs also involved the use of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and other club drugs. Additional work also suggests that the use of polydrugs is common in the rave/club scene. This study proposes to explore the relationship between the Internet and the transmission of information among youth about "club drugs." The Internet has figured prominently in the "rave scene" since the early years of the movement. The Internet has been a primary site of communication about rave parties, DJs, and artists. Moreover, it provides space for youth to connect with others involved in the rave scene through chat rooms and email subscription lists. While raves, house and bush parties change locale often, the setting of web-based interaction remains static and constant. The role of Internet interaction in the use of club drugs has been unexplored. The current research proposes an Internet-based qualitative study of youth involved in Internet chat rooms and discussion boards. The goal of the research is to solicit new and pertinent information related to the context and setting of club drug use (e.g., when, where, and with whom are drugs primarily used; under what circumstances are some drugs chosen over others; etc.). Moreover, it will explore the role of the Internet in transferring and mediating information regarding drug use across settings (e.g., is the Internet a source of new information about drugs among users, how is Internet use related to the local club scene; do drug use trends disseminate through a "virtual community" or through local, geographically tied networks, how can the Internet be used a prevention and education tool among "club drug" users; etc.). For these reasons, the methodology for this project will involve the extension and adaptation of traditional ethnographic methods to the practice of cyber-ethnography. The project team will combine, as well as adapt field methods for what will at first be a largely unseen group of subjects. We will engage in a two-pronged approach to capture both the online and off-line (so-called 'real life') interactions and networks of the subjects. Primarily, field notes will be generated by monitoring online sites and participant observation in site-communications and other Internet-based communications with members of these communities (e.g. email and America Online Instant Messaging). In addition, we will construct an online survey administered to interested members.