Real Drugs in a Virtual World

Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded research project on drug information and online drug-related communities. The editors of this pivotal text, Edward Murguia, Ann Lessem, and Melissa Tackett-Gibson, elevate the debate about drug use and the Internet from a polemic discourse to social scientific investigation. The essays confront issues related to the study of drug communication online, including the causal factors of abuse as discussed in online forums, the relationship between music and drug use in virtual communities, and the ways in which individuals assess the accuracy of online drug information. This book highlights the variety of ways to examine drug use as a social problem and presents several theoretical perspectives valuable to online research. Real Drugs in a Virtual World is an enlightening and thought provoking read that will appeal to sociology students and those interested in virtual communities.

Many assume that the Internet introduces youth and young adults to dangerous information and substances while others contend that open and free access to accurate drug use information is critical to reducing dangerous behaviors. The primary goal of this book is to take the debate about drug use and the Internet from polemic discourse to social scientific investigation. Our work highlights the variety of ways to examine drug use as a social problem, and several theoretical perspectives valuable for online research.

Chapter 1 Chapter One: Other Studies Chapter 2 Club Drugs, Online Communities, and Harm Reduction Websites on the Internet Chapter 3 Chapter Two: A Study in Online Community Chapter 4 The Body or the Body Politic: Risk, Harm, Moral Panic and Drug Use Discourse Online Chapter 5 The New Drugs Internet Survey: A Portrait of Respondents Chapter 6 Chapter Three: Online Narratives of Use Chapter 7 Causal Factors in Drug Use: A Phenomenological Approach Based on Internet Data Chapter 8 Voluntary Use, Risk, and Online Drug Use Discourse Chapter 9 Deterrence of Harm to Self: A Study of Online Rhetoric Chapter 10 Chapter Four: The Internet, Knowledge, and Offline Experienced Chapter 11 Assessing the Likelihood of Internet Information-Seeking Leading to Offline Drug Use by Youth Chapter 12 Scripters and Freaks: Knowledge and Use of Prescription Stimulants Online Chapter 13 Illegal Behavior and Legal Speech: Internet Communities' Discourse about Drug Use Chapter 14 Chapter Five: Music, Drugs, and Online Subcultures Chapter 15 Music as a Feature of the Online Discussion of Illegal Drugs Chapter 16 The Never-Ending Conversation: A Case Study of Rave-Related Internet Conversation and Drug Use Chapter 17 Using Popular Music to Interpret the Drug Experience Chapter 18 Chapter Six: Conclusion Chapter 19 A Review of Internet Studies in this Volume, an Examination of Root Causes of Drug Abuse from a Societal Point of View, and Some Possible Solutions