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Date of Graduation

5-2025

Description

Use of nicotine pouches among adolescents are increasing as marketing of Zyn through social media platforms such as, TikTok, is spreading quickly. Micro-influencers on TikTok are presenting the nicotine pouch, Zyn, and its abundance of flavors. The attractiveness of Zyn is primarily due to its subtleness, assortment of flavors, and convenience. The objective of this research is to examine how social media marketing of Zyn pouches is influencing the increased use of this product among adolescents and young adults. This research will aim to answer how Zyn is being communicated on TikTok, what demographic is primarily depicted using or talking about Zyn on TikTok, and what kind of sentiment is being portrayed on TikTok about Zyn.

Current research studies examine nicotine pouch marketing primarily though radio televisions and print advertising. What they often lack is a source that all adolescents and young adults are consumed by: social media. Ranking third worldwide for the largest social media platforms with the greatest advertise reach, this research investigates TikTok’s Zyn marketing towards adolescents. The methodology for this research included coding for 112 TikToks to identify popular demographics, gender expression, flavors, sentiments, and dependence of Zyn. Our research shows that many of the individuals making the videos are white males, with a wide variety of branding, focusing mainly on wintergreen and spearmint flavors. Additionally, the videos contain a primarily positive sentiment, satire, and little talk about cessation, addiction, or dependence.

My research team and I developed a codebook to accurately define the coded terms when examining TikTok videos. Our preliminary review included conducting an initial review of a sample of TikTok videos related to Zyn, and identifying preliminary codes based on recurring themes, phrases, behaviors, and symbols. We defined the codes by assigning clear, operational definitions to each code to standardize interpretation. Lastly, we finalized the codebook and maintained a log of codebook revisions to document changes and ensure transparency. Following codebook development, all 112 videos were annotated by two trained coders. The full metadata was examined for all videos based off number of followers, likes, comments, shares, and common Zyn hashtags.

Zyn is a tobacco-free nicotine pouch that is put inside an individual’s upper lip, risking gum damage and oral cancer. Nicotine pouches can be highly addictive and pose cardiovascular problems, increasing blood pressure and heart rate. With its appealing qualities of discreteness and uniqueness being marketed through TikTok, young adults are getting attracted to Zyn products. Using this research, we can effectively show how the marketing of Zyn affects the young adult population. Our findings allow us to make informed public health recommendations to mitigate the risks associated with nicotine use among young people.

Publication Date

2025

Document Type

Book

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Health, Human Performance and Recreation

Advisor/Mentor

Dobbs, Page

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

Health

Zyn: The Social Buzz

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