Tobacco Control· 2026Q1
Why are branded cigarettes in streaming media? A case study of Netflix’s Stranger Things
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Branded cigarettes are still featured in streaming media like Netflix's Stranger Things, not due to paid placement, but as a narrative device to enhance realism, develop characters, and advance plots.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Branded tobacco products are present in streaming media, exemplified by Netflix's Stranger Things.
- Inclusion is driven by narrative functions: enhancing realism, character development, and plot advancement.
- These products are used as action props to anchor and advance the story.
- Policymakers should consider warnings or cessation resource promotion for tobacco-depicting media.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Background Despite the 1998 ban on paid product placement by the tobacco industry, branded tobacco products continue to appear in media. Methods Using the popular streaming series Stranger Things as a case study, this paper identifies potential motivations of content producers for including branded cigarettes in their work by analysing how the products function in the series. Results These include enhancing verisimilitude, character development and serving as action props to anchor and advance a narrative. Conclusions Since the use of branded tobacco products appears to be firmly entrenched in Hollywood as a storytelling device, policymakers should consider mitigating the negative effects of repeated tobacco depictions on young people by requiring advisory warnings and or promotion of cessation resources before and after movies or series episodes that depict tobacco use. In addition, raising critical public awareness of the issue may encourage content creators to reconsider the necessity of tobacco depictions and explore more creative alternative narrative-advancing devices rather than reifying smoking behaviour.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Tobacco Control, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Literature and Literary Theory
Literature and Literary TheoryArts and Humanities