These Researchers Know When and Where You're Drunk Tweeting Scientists at the University of Rochester want to use the data they've found to help illuminate social behavior and public health issues around alcohol consumption.

By Nina Zipkin

GongTo | Shutterstock.com

And now for a brief St. Patrick's Day PSA: If you're planning any celebratory outings today, drink responsibly and do your level best to not drunk tweet or text. It may seem like a good idea at the time, but the Internet is forever.

Thanks to context clues, you'll likely be able figure out if you're on the receiving end of one of these inebriated messages, and now a computer does too, thanks to some researchers at the University of Rochester. They recently built an algorithm to identify tweets sent under the influence and observe general "alcohol-related activity."

Related: Study: Constantly Texting and Checking Social Media Makes You 'Morally Shallow'

The algorithm that head researcher Nabil Hossain and his team developed can sort out tweets about alcohol and drinking and tweets sent by people while they are imbibing.

The project was a couple of years in the making, with about 11,000 geotagged tweets collected during 2014 that were sent from New York City and Monroe County, N.Y., (where the university is located) to better figure out where these individuals were tweeting from, such as at home or at the bar, down to about 100 meters with 80 percent accuracy.

Related: What I Wish All My Employees Knew About Twitter

Going forward, the computer scientists want to take what they've learned and examine how a variety of venues -- such as a stadium on game day or a friend's house party -- affect drinking and tweeting and how alcohol consumption differs among age groups, ethnicities and genders.
Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

This Husband and Wife's 'Happy Accident' Side Hustle Hit $467,000 Revenue Fast — Now It Makes Over $1 Million a Year: 'We're Scrappy'

Charlene and Vince Li couldn't find the snack they wanted to see on the shelves, so they created it themselves.

Growing a Business

'Boring' Businesses Are Making Millionaires — and You Can Borrow Their Strategies For Success

The silent growth strategy reveals how understated, steady businesses are quietly creating wealth for entrepreneurs in 2025. By focusing on long-term consistency and incremental progress, these "boring" industries are proving to be gold mines for those willing to embrace stability over hype.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

YouTuber MrBeast Makes More Money From His Side Hustle Than From His YouTube Videos

The 26-year-old creator has racked up hundreds of millions of views and subscribers on YouTube, but it isn't his main moneymaker.

Business News

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Says Only One Group Is Complaining About Returning to the Office

In a new interview, Dimon said remote work "doesn't work" and noted some JPMorgan employees were checking their phones while he was speaking in a meeting.

Operations & Logistics

The Success of a New Product Launch Comes Down to One Detail, According to This Expert

A veteran consumer product officer shares the corporate strategy that small business owners can use to boost sales and loyalty.