Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers
Background Vaping is a relatively new practice, and therefore its symbolic meanings and social practices are yet to be fully understood, especially within Australia where the practice is strictly regulated. This study aimed to examine vapers motivations for use, reinforcing influences, and associat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
BioMed Central
2020
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81488 |
| _version_ | 1848764375928668160 |
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| author | McCausland, Kahlia Jancey, Jonine Leaver, Tama Wolf, Katharina Freeman, Becky Maycock, Bruce |
| author_facet | McCausland, Kahlia Jancey, Jonine Leaver, Tama Wolf, Katharina Freeman, Becky Maycock, Bruce |
| author_sort | McCausland, Kahlia |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background
Vaping is a relatively new practice, and therefore its symbolic meanings and social practices are yet to be fully understood, especially within Australia where the practice is strictly regulated. This study aimed to examine vapers motivations for use, reinforcing influences, and association with the vaper subculture.
Methods
Working from a constructivist epistemology and a symbolic interaction framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 37 current (89%) and former (11%) adult vapers, 70% male, mean age of 32.5. Data was analysed via thematic analysis.
Results
Vapers largely started vaping to quit smoking and underwent common experiences during their initiation phase. Subsequently, vapers tended to adopt one of two dominant identities, that of the ‘cloud chaser’ or the ‘substitute’, which some users moved between during different stages of their vaping career. The social and symbolic meaning of e-cigarettes and vaping varied and involved concepts of harm reduction, addiction, pleasure, stigma and community, and for some, connection to the vaper subculture.
Conclusions
Understanding the complexities of vaping, and the nuanced differences of ‘cloud chasers’ and ‘substitute’ vapers may have important implications for health communication, research and policy. E-cigarette users within this sample were not a homogeneous group and differed in their motivations for use, association with the vaper subculture and relationship with the vape community. These findings provide new insights into the socialisation process and subsequent identity adoption of vapers within the unique regulatory environment of Western Australia. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:18:22Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-81488 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:18:22Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | BioMed Central |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-814882020-11-02T06:17:06Z Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers McCausland, Kahlia Jancey, Jonine Leaver, Tama Wolf, Katharina Freeman, Becky Maycock, Bruce Background Vaping is a relatively new practice, and therefore its symbolic meanings and social practices are yet to be fully understood, especially within Australia where the practice is strictly regulated. This study aimed to examine vapers motivations for use, reinforcing influences, and association with the vaper subculture. Methods Working from a constructivist epistemology and a symbolic interaction framework, in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 37 current (89%) and former (11%) adult vapers, 70% male, mean age of 32.5. Data was analysed via thematic analysis. Results Vapers largely started vaping to quit smoking and underwent common experiences during their initiation phase. Subsequently, vapers tended to adopt one of two dominant identities, that of the ‘cloud chaser’ or the ‘substitute’, which some users moved between during different stages of their vaping career. The social and symbolic meaning of e-cigarettes and vaping varied and involved concepts of harm reduction, addiction, pleasure, stigma and community, and for some, connection to the vaper subculture. Conclusions Understanding the complexities of vaping, and the nuanced differences of ‘cloud chasers’ and ‘substitute’ vapers may have important implications for health communication, research and policy. E-cigarette users within this sample were not a homogeneous group and differed in their motivations for use, association with the vaper subculture and relationship with the vape community. These findings provide new insights into the socialisation process and subsequent identity adoption of vapers within the unique regulatory environment of Western Australia. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81488 10.1186/s12889-020-09651-z http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ BioMed Central fulltext |
| spellingShingle | McCausland, Kahlia Jancey, Jonine Leaver, Tama Wolf, Katharina Freeman, Becky Maycock, Bruce Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers |
| title | Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers |
| title_full | Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers |
| title_fullStr | Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers |
| title_short | Motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: A qualitative study of the experiences of Western Australian vapers |
| title_sort | motivations for use, identity and the vaper subculture: a qualitative study of the experiences of western australian vapers |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81488 |