That seems to be the way it goes, I think most people who vape came from cigarettes, and having tried an ecig without being in the smoking culture and I found myself thinking, whats the point? The question of whether ecigs were about nicotine or culture came from the articles quote about somebody going outside to vape instead of doing it inside. I would assume that there is some amount of culture between the people who meet outside while they are smoking. The example just struck me as something that identifies a culture that is created by smoking even if everybody is just getting their nicotine fix. So I guess in the end the question wasn't really about whether or not people are just after the nicotine in ecigs, but whether or not ecigs really caught on because it allowed smokers to stay involved in the culture or social circles surrounding cigarettes in a way that patches etc do not.
I guess that is kind of true, the culture kind of comes secondary. I still go outside to vape at work because we are not allowed to inside, which is understandable. So a few of us that used to smoke all go out together and vape. Still get to stretch my legs, get away from my desk, and not talk about work for awhile. So I guess that part of the culture is nice. For most it's more out of necessity because vaping is still frowned upon inside which again, is understandable. I always go outside to vape, even at bars. Only place I vape inside is at home.