CULTURE OF VAPING: WHO STARTED THIS?
Vaping as modern youth culture has started not long ago. The ancestors of a current vape pen root centuries ago, mostly in Asian and African cultures. Hookahs, for example, have always been an element of entertainment in Turkey and other oriental cultures.
Talking about the more ‘modern’ era, the idea of vaping came to the human mind at the beginning of the previous century. However, they were never released on the market. The devices were more of an idea, a project than a real thing. Nevertheless, the trend has changed over time.
New views and ideas were capturing the new generations. As a result, a Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik has developed a device, which is the closest to the ones that are used today. For sure, the device was not this function like the one we have now.
However, with the help of new experiments and the studies of the previous century’s works on vapes, scientists managed to develop a modern vape pen. The society’s requests boosted the innovations in the sphere, and new models have appeared on the market.
Therefore, the modern history of the hobby is distinct for many. However, the question is when all the vaping devices, e nails, and wax pens have become a new driving force for the population. Was it a natural process or caused by marketing?
A Story Line: Historical Background for Vaping
The very first mentions of vapes date back to far before Christ. If we talk about vaping as a part of the culture, the roots of it can already be found in 3100 BC in Ancient Egypt – one of the oldest ancient civilizations. People used to inhale smoke and vapor from the herbs that were heated on the hot rocks.
Talking about the devices that are more connected to modern reality, we cannot help mentioning the Middle East with its shishas. They are said to be originated about five centuries ago, but we cannot claim. According to the historical data, the population used individual water pipes, similar to modern electric dab nail and wax rig (https://vapingdaily.com/vaporizers/best-e-nails-e-rigs/) to get some flavored vapor.
The new era for vapes started last century. One of the first projects was presented in the 20s, but it was only 1963 that the prototype of the vape developed by Herbert Gilbert was released. Unfortunately, the market was not interested in such an invention. Neither pharmaceutical nor tobacco companies wanted to invest their money into such a novelty.
It took almost five years to produce a competitive market product since the time of Hon Lik. In fact, he patented his invention only in 2003, and the production for the local Chinese market has started the following year. However, the devices saw the European and American markets only in 2006.
The Present Situation: Vaping as an Agent of Culture
The statistics of these days are anxiously satisfactory for the manufacturers and distributors of the device. The sales grow each day, people tend to become more vape-addicted. There exist about 2000 flavors of 500 listed brands. The industry plans to be worth about $30 billion before 2023. Therefore, we can sum up that vaping is a successful business.
Except for being a profitable activity, vaping tends to bring pleasure to those who practice the habit. People become vapers because of different reasons (they want to give up smoking, relax from the routine, forget about family, personal, or job-related problems), but all of them become connected around a particular culture.
A great example of this culture is people gathered around the wax rig in a smoky room, aiming at having fun and escaping from this world. Vapers tend to visit special vape cafes, similar to the clubs that were popular a couple of decades ago. However, even more of the adorers of the habits switch into their online networks.
Specially designed devices are accompanied with other modern apps for a smartphone. The tools are famous for having a set of new functions. The design becomes unique and more elegant. All the information about the tools and other vaping stuff is gathered in the simple app, where a person can find all the answers connected to the vaping device.
Sometimes these apps are structured like an encyclopedia, where you can find all the relevant information about vape models, e juices, types of substances to smoke, variable types of vaping devices (e.g., an e nail). The other looks like social networks, where people can exchange information, comments, share photos, and their reviews.
There also exist different kinds of apps. They help to control the vaping process. You can register the amount of liquid vaped, the time of vaping, voltage, wattage, and other parameters. These apps are top-rated among those who try to quit. The types of vape can be combined, which helps the user to spend less time.
To sum up, the culture of vaping is not a new activity. People used to inhale the burning herbs or vapors of substances millenniums ago. The only new change is the outer look and better mechanisms. The culture of inhaling substances seems to always live in people’s minds, probably, since the fire was found.
This article was so interesting. I guess I knew this from long ago but I just never thought about it. Great article. Thank you so much for sharing
Vaping is not new, but because of a number of unscrupulous vendors/suppliers, it has become demonized unfairly.
This is really interesting. I hadn’t thought about it but I had no idea it has been around so long!