There is an interesting trend in our office. All our smokers have either fully transitioned, or are in the process of transitioning, to eCigarettes or eCigs. With all the news about legislation to quell “vaping” in public, we are clearly not the only ones.

Since eCigs are truly a trend, and research is showing increases in their use, I wondered how people were talking about it in social media. Places like Twitter, Facebook, and personal blogs.

In the last 30 days there were just over 63,000 mentions of cigarettes online. But for eCigarettes and vaping, what users call smoking, there were over 97,500 mentions. eCigs are now the social media conversation, not just part of the conversation, around smoking.

The majority of the conversation is about where to find eCig products and specials or coupons. Sellers are definitely taking advantage of social media to get the word out about their products. In Facebook, there is some conversation about support groups, which is not as prominent in the other mediums. While in personal blogs, writers explore their thoughts about specific eCigs and the various juices they have tried.

The conversations that are less prominent, but important, are those about the impact on health from eCigs. According to people in social media, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation concerning eCigs. Few are specifically calling for research to help everyone understand the true health impacts, but many are arguing with the information they have, true or not.

In 2014, I foresee a larger request for research into the health impacts of eCigs. Legislators are seeking to make informed decisions and users seek continued unrestricted vaping. I also foresee greater conversation as restrictions are implemented.