Bland ”haschtomtar” och “tripprapporter”. En kvalitativ intervjustudie om hur kommunikation genom sociala medier påverkar unga människors attityder, kunskap och användning av droger.

Sammanfattning: In the last decade, technological innovations have become an integral part of the human life experience. Today’s youth spend many hours on social media and use it in multiple ways. During this time attitudes in Sweden have shifted towards a more liberal view on drugs and national drug legislation. The purpose of this study is to examine how three professionals working with youth substance abuse treatment and three young people with a history of addiction describe how they perceive the effects of communication through social media on young people's knowledge, attitudes, and use of drugs. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews we found that social media increases the availability of drugs by providing a conducive environment. We found that communication through social media provides an accessible source of knowledge for young people interested in or using drugs. The professionals perceived young people’s reality of always being connected and reachable to peers through their phones as an issue in recovery. The professionals also described how they perceived adolescents and young adults as influenced by news, opinions, and other online content.