Table 1 Text message design and examples focused on hookah and electronic cigarettes (vaping)
Message type | Description | Message features |
|---|---|---|
Depth | ||
Complex | Uses formal tone | Long sentences, scholarly vocabulary |
Simple | Uses informal tone | Short, concise, language trends i.e. slang, popular text message abbreviations |
Framing | ||
Gain | Conveys positive consequences of healthy behavior | Positive effects attained and negative effects that are reduced by avoiding products |
Loss | Conveys negative consequences of unhealthy behavior | Negative effects when products are used |
Appeal | ||
Emotional | Designed to evoke joy, fear, sarcasm, anger, sympathy, and humor around products | Emotional words, emotional context, and symbols representing either a smile or a frown |
Rational | Presents logic and facts derived from scientific literature | Statements that use logic |
Examples of Types of Messages | Hookah | Electronic Cigarettes |
Simple/Loss/Rational | Water is not a filter. Ppl who smoke hookah are exposed to chemicals that are thought to be cleaned out by the pipe’s water. | Families who use e-juice put their toddler at risk since kids under 5 are most vulnerable to accidental e-juice poisoning. |
Simple/Loss/Emotional | Ppl who smoke hookah have a higher chance of getting gross mouth herpes since they’re swapping germs thru mouthpieces. :( | Get this! The FDA can’t inform ppl of what’s in e-cigs. Ppl who vape lose control of what goes in their bodies. :( #WhatsInAVape |
Simple/Gain/Emotional | Be free! Rejecting hookah helps ppl escape TWICE the amount of nicotine in a cig & the handcuffs of a crippling addiction! :) | Ppl who don’t use e-cigs keep little ones from making the tragic mistake of drinking e-cig juice & needing a terrifying trip to the ER. :) |
Simple/Gain/Rational | Ppl who know the truth about hookah are safe from its smoke which has 36x more tar than a single cig. | Ever heard of e-juice & e-cigs? Staying away from e-cigs can lower the risk of becoming addicted since e-cigs are used to keep ppl craving nicotine. |
Complex/Loss/Rational | People who socialize in hookah bars are more likely to experience respiratory conditions related to tobacco use. | Utilizing electronic cigarettes may lead to nicotine poisoning. Nicotine levels in refill cartridges can be inaccurately labeled with levels often higher than advertised. |
Complex/Loss/Emotional | Letting your mouth write a check that your lungs cannot cash? College students frequenting hookah bars underestimate its damaging effects, leading to lung disorders. :( | Familiar with the liquid nicotine that fuels electronic cigarettes? Beware! Each drop specializes in dragging people into an abyss of addictive desire for these products! :( |
Complex/Gain/Emotional | Germaphobe Jo has seen and smelled a fungus-covered toenail. Since she prefers fungus-free lungs, she avoids hookah pipes and the fungus that lurks within. :) | Avoid contamination! Electronic cigarettes are NOT regulated! Abstaining from vaping prevents breaches of potentially dangerous unknown substances into the body. :) |