Using social media to spot trends in drug use and overdoses
Mining Social Media Big Data for Toxicovigilance: Studying Substance Use via Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning Methods
This project uses computer language tools to scan public social media posts for early signs of dangerous drug trends that affect people with substance use or their communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11364666 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project looks at public social media posts about drug use and uses natural language processing and machine learning to find patterns and emerging threats. It focuses on mentions of high-risk drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other novel synthetic substances, and compares trends across regions, age groups, and rural versus urban areas. The team tracks changes over time, including shifts that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide faster signals than traditional reporting systems. The work analyzes aggregated public posts and does not require you to enroll or attend clinic visits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The data come from public social media users, so people who post publicly about substance use, overdoses, or treatment experiences are the sources of information for this project.
Not a fit: People who do not use social media, keep their accounts private, or live in areas with low online representation are unlikely to see direct benefits from this project's findings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could give health services and communities earlier warnings about dangerous drugs and help target prevention and treatment where it's needed most.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has shown social media can reveal emerging drug trends and overdose signals, but using advanced NLP and machine learning for systematic toxicovigilance at scale is still novel and developing.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sarker, Abeed H — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Sarker, Abeed H
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.