The marijuana legalization movement has “drastically changed” the social media landscape for cannabis marketing, according to a new research paper that focused on Instagram trends. While male-dominated, anonymous profiles have been a hallmark of illicit markets, that has largely shifted in the U.S. as more states have legalized marijuana. The researchers found that women are becoming the key “influencers” promoting cannabis through lifestyle-driven posts. The study, published last month in Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal, compared the profiles of 60 seemingly illicit sellers in Switzerland to 70 “cannabis influencer” profiles in the U.S., analyzing the visual and text-based differences. “Our findings show that cannabis influencers on Instagram are changing the stereotypical characteristics of illegal cannabis culture as being almost entirely dominated by men, to one where cannabis is represented as a desirable accessory in certain feminine lifestyles,” the researchers said. “Influencers’ role in transforming cannabis culture to become more mainstream and acceptable for women could potentially effect cannabis cultures globally, as well as ongoing legalization debates,” they wrote.
Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 05/23/2022 08:45:00