The comedy show Saturday Night Live has often taken swipes at Presidents, both current and past, and in a recent airing of the show it depicted current President Barrack Obama as a user of an electronic cigarette. In fact, this is not the first time that the people behind Saturday Night Live have also used electronic cigarettes in their parodies. A previous show turned the whole concept of e-cigs around and replaced it with an electronic method of smoking meth, a scene which caused much controversy. You can view the skit below;
The use of electronic cigarettes in these skits by the makers of Saturday Night Live are further examples of the use of e-cigs in the mainstream media, and they are fast becoming a part of modern day culture. It is also something that has managed to boost the popularity of electronic cigarettes. Public figures and celebrities alike in large numbers now use electronic cigarettes
More People Exposed to the Existence of Electronic Cigarettes
The interesting thing about the skit is that it was done in conjunction with the website HealthCare.gov, and it showed president Obama smoking an electronic cigarette, and with each time he appeared with the electronic cigarette, nearly 4 million television viewers were exposed to the existence of e-cigs. In fact, some of the people exposed to electronic cigarettes were seeing them for the very first time, whilst other people were being reminded of the existence of electronic cigarettes. In addition to which, the very fact that electronic cigarettes are being shown in a popular mainstream sketch show is due to the fact that more and more people are now aware of their existence.
Obviously, these kinds of spoof commercials for electronic cigarettes are only going to be funny if the audience they are exposed to actually already know of the product, and how they are advertised. In fact, there is even a reference at the end of the skit to the Blue cig brand, a brand that has clearly established itself as one of the most popular brands of electronic cigarettes available.
Electronic Cigarettes and their Portrayal in the Media
There has been a lot of controversy recently surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes in the mainstream media, with some United States senators slamming their use being shown on television. However, that being said, it does seem that electronic cigarette use is now being accepted by the media, and we can probably expect to see more of them on television in the near future.