Previously submitted to: Journal of Medical Internet Research (no longer under consideration since Dec 21, 2021)
Date Submitted: Apr 5, 2020
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 5, 2020 - May 31, 2020
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Association between standing electric scooter injuries and human behaviors on Instagram: #electricscooter
ABSTRACT
Background:
With the recent rise in popularity of standing electric scooters, there have been an increase in related injuries seen in the emergency departments. Social media, especially Instagram, is used by a significant number of young people as a platform of socialization and information sharing.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to examine the association between standing electric scooter related injuries seen in the emergency room and human behaviors on Instagram.
Methods:
We searched “#electricscooter” on Instagram and reviewed the first 1000 posts. To be included in the study, the image must include at least one standing electric scooter. Based on image characteristics, we categorized the posts non-exclusively, meaning that a post can be assigned to more than one category. The categories include: 1. no humans, 2. human using the standing electric scooter or is posing next to the vehicle, 3. more than one rider on one scooter, 4. include children, 5. include helmet, 6. advertisement, 7. advertisement that depicts helmet.
Results:
As of 1/30/2020, there are 278,054 posts related to #electricscooter on Instagram. 563 posts are included in the study. These posts are categorized non-exclusively as follow: 231 (40.1%) posts depict electric scooter(s) in the image without any human interactions. 248 (44.0%) posts illustrate humans using the scooter or is posting next to the scooter. 5 (0.9%) posts depict more than one rider on one vehicle at a time. 5 (0.9%) posts include children. 59 (10.5%) posts depicted helmets within the image. 73 (13.0%) posts are advertisements for electric scooters. 2 (0.4%) of the advertisement posts include helmet(s).
Conclusions:
Our study shows that human behaviors regarding standing electric scooters on Instagram are reflexive of human behaviors in real life. We suspect that human behaviors and advertisement patterns on Instagram may contribute to the normalization of unsafe standing electric scooter riding practices. Instagram and other social media platforms may be cost-effective places for patient outreach regarding electric scooter safety.
Citation
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