Turning online to tune in: Psychedelic information seeking in an era of renewed psychedelic curiosity
Oskar Enghoff, Margit Anne Petersen, Søren Holm, Morten Hesse
Journal of Psychedelic Studies May 16, 2025 DOI: 10.1556/2054.2025.00415 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,200 |
| Population | Online survey respondents; approximately 55% had used psychedelics |
| Keywords | Curiosity Aesthetics |
| Key findings | All groups—therapeutic users, non-therapeutic users, and non-users—prefer online sources for psychedelic information, with distinct patterns of source and content use across groups. |
Abstract
Abstract Background and aims Online platforms are popular for exchanging information about psychedelics, including consumption advice. The recent resurgence of public interest in psychedelics will likely intensify this. We aim to further the understanding among researchers, policy makers, medical practitioners, harm reduction practitioners, and social workers, of contemporary psychedelic information exchange and its impact on consumption. With a social learning perspective and a focus on online content, we investigate the use of various sources and types of information by people who have used psychedelics therapeutically, non-therapeutically, or not at all.
Methods: We deployed an online survey, obtaining a purposive sample of over 1,200 respondents. Approx. 55% had used psychedelics. We included items on seeking, obtaining, and using information about psychedelics. Data was analyzed using comparative frequency tables, comparing respondents across lifetime use of psychedelics (yes/no) and reason for using (therapeutical/non-therapeutical).
Results: Data showed strong preference for, and use of, online psychedelic information in all groups of respondents. Across groups, considerable differences were observed in patterns of information exchange, including source preferences, sources where information had been obtained, and types of content accessed.
Conclusions: We found evidence of differing online social learning environments where consumption practices are exchanged. Despite an increasing public focus on psychedelic therapy, online content thus also affects other uses of psychedelics. This content is accessed by people who have or have not used psychedelics, and thus affects both present and potential future use. This can be leveraged by public health institutions wishing to gain a voice in the psychedelic resurgence.