The document discusses how the internet has transformed sexual learning, relationship formation, and sexual expression, highlighting the prevalence of online dating and adult entertainment. It examines the psychological and social implications of online sexual activities, including increased sexual exploration and concerns about addiction and exposure to inappropriate content. Additionally, it addresses how online platforms can facilitate both healthy sexual expression and potential negative effects on relationships.

2. Sex, Relationships, and Technology L. Kris Gowen, PhD, EdM Portland State University

3. Sex, Relationships, and Technology Focus on the Internet How has this technology changed the way we Learn about sex Meet potential partners Interact with sexual partners Express our sexual selves

4. How do people use the Internet for sex-related activities and expression?

5. How do people use the Internet for sex-related activities and expression? Education Buying/selling sex-related merchandise Entertainment/masturbatory purposes Seeking partners For a short-term relationship For a lasting relationship Maintaining relationships Cybersex Exploring different sex practices Exploring one’s gender and/or sexual identity Expressing sexual fantasy

6. Prevalence Online dating sites generated 27.5 million unique visitors in June, 2009 (Nielsen). In 2008 the online dating industry earned $957 million. This makes it the third highest revenue grossing industry (Forrester Research) Adultfriendfinder.com had 35 million visitors in 2006 36% of Internet users visit at least one adult Web site each month (2008) Of people who access these sites, they actually visit an average of 7.7 times per month. Revenue from U.S. online adult entertainment in 2006 was $2.8 billion, up 13% from 2005.

7. Prevalence 36% of Internet users visit at least one adult Web site each month (comScore 2008) Of people who access these sites, they actually visit an average of 7.7 times per month. Pornotube, the 298th-most trafficked site on the web (Alexa) Revenue from U.S. online adult entertainment in 2006 was $2.8 billion, up 13% from 2005. Oregon has one of the lowest subscription rates; Utah and Mississippi have the highest

8. Online sexual activities Normative by default But mass media seems to focus more on the problems …

9. Internet + Sex =  Newspaper Headlines Child predators “ Teacher sent nude photos of herself to student” “ Adding panic button on Facebook?” Scandal! Joslyn James Denies Provoking Tiger Woods Sexting, Promises More Sordid Details Shortly sextingjoslynjames.com Addiction & Ruined Relationships

10. Why is the Internet conducive to exploring sexuality? Cooper’s Triple-A Engine (general appeal) Accessibility Affordability Anonymity Young’s ACE Model (infidelity) Anonymity Convenience Escapism

11. Psychological Theories in Cyberspace: Do they work? Disinhibition Effect/Dissociative Anonymity Can increase or decrease honesty Reduced Sensation vs. Cathartic Effect Proximity and a precursor to intimacy Evolutionary Psychology Importance of Status Lowered online Things we rely on to determine status not present or highlighted Identity Formation – Conformity or uniqueness?

12. Basic Theory of Relationship Establishment Find that “special someone” in 5 easy steps! Meet person Physical attraction Proximity Similarity Reciprocity of attraction

13. Meet Person Online (dating) has widely expanded our “field of eligibles” So what do we do with all those extra options?

14. Physical Attraction Plays an essential role in initial meeting as well as in continued relationship (matching hypothesis) Attractive women get 5x the number of messages as an average woman; 28x more than a lower-rated woman Attractive guys get 11x the messages the lowest-rated do. The medium-rated get about 4x. Source: okcupid’s blog

15. Physical Attraction Who is attractive in Second Life? “ The avatar I am now is quite stunning. She is everything I should have been years ago, slim and attractive. I finally felt I could be who I wanted to be. I felt stronger.” – Kirsten via Valleywag.com

16. Physical Attraction: From the Virtual to the Physical Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab the Proteus Effect, after the Greek god who could shift form Avatar impact on behavior people given taller avatars behaved more aggressively in a virtual bargaining task AND later in a face-to-face one. Following a virtual reality exercise, subjects were asked to choose people they'd like to approach from a mock dating website: people who had been in more attractive avatars during the exercise chose more attractive partners. Source: Nikelodeon

17. Physical Attraction: From the Virtual to the Physical Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab People in online world often adopt exaggerated forms of stereotypical beauty If online play affects real-life identities, how might our online peers/avatars reinforce class and gender roles? Potential to obliterate them not employed – many beautiful people live in SecondLife.

18. Proximity How we define proximity needs to change Potential for continual online connection Ambient awareness—the incessant contact we have with each other due to technology. Can backfire: “I CAN SEE HE'S ONLINE BUT HE'S NOT SAYING ANYTHING TO ME!” she messages. She's going out of her mind. ( Baby, you don’t poke me anymore )

19. Proximity Meeting up in virtual worlds “ Neither of us went on Second Life to find a new relationship,” says Kristen. “I had heard Duran Duran were playing a virtual gig and wanted to see them, so when my avatar, Kira, saw Nik...” -UK Telegraph, 2008

20. Having and maintaining a relationship online Does the internet help or hinder a face-to-face relationship?

21. Negative effects of OSA If the user downloads Internet pornography on the work computer or engages in cybersex on the job, he or she risks job loss. Many users lie repeatedly about the sexual activities; in response, their partners feel distrust and betrayal. Cybersex participants who seek out minors as sexual partners. Children may be exposed to pornography (purposefully or not). If online sex leads to real-life sexual encounters, the user risks acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

22. Negative Effects of OSA Youth exposure to adult material 33% exposed to “unwanted” sexual material (up from 25% in 2000) 1 in 7 solicited sexually online (down from 1 in 5 in 2000) 4% of solicitors asked for sexually explicit pictures 4% were “aggressive” solicitations (offline contact) 9% of youth were distressed by these incidents

23. Online sexual activities Lack of concrete definition to define cybersex addiction Rely on addiction profiles of other “recognized” addictions Only 1% of cybersex users are both high users (11+ hours/week) and score high on a sexual compulsivity scale (Cooper, 2000). Cooper also claims that between 8 and 17 percent of his sample was "at risk" for addiction

24. Online sexual activities Question: Does the Internet cause sexual addiction, or is it simply a new medium for existing sexual addicts? Cybersex addiction is currently not recognized by the APA

25. What do we know about the more sex-positive effects of OSA? MSNBC/Elle Magazine 81% men, 53% women used the internet to look at erotic images or engage in “sexy talk” 37% men, 28% women say OSAs expanded their ideas of eroticism 44% men 50% women who first revealed something online told a F2F partner later

26. Some of the more sex-positive effects of OSA Increase spontaneity through texts and emails Look for advice Different communities available Opportunities for education and exploration

27. Gadgets! Teledildonics/cyberdildonics RealTouch: device for men which matches, frame by frame, what's happening in a video through built-in vibration, motion, lubrication and heat. Sinulator for remote stimulation by partner, seems to be off the market.

28. Gadgets! Sex Robots TrueCompanion: cyber doll that responds to touch, with 5 different personalities to choose from. Carries on simple conversations Adapts to partner’s personality Can respond to a “safe word” Source: NYMag.com

29. What we know so far Not much! Little about how the Internet Enhances one’s sexuality and sexual identity Increases our sexual expression Educates us about sexuality Impact on sexually diverse communities

30. The Internet and “New Literacies” Internet has created “new literacies” Message boards Blogs Fanfiction

31. Fan Fiction Fan fiction is conducive for writing explicit sexual stories and sexual fantasies for several reasons: Anonymity Potential feeling of depersonalization Established characters provide framework Shared understanding of characters Women report greater sexual arousal than men while writing their sexual fantasies (Carlson & Coleman, 1977).

32. Women and OSA Women may prefer OSAs because They remove the social stigma that women should not be sexually curious/desirous. They provide a safe environment to concentrate on their sexuality in new, uninhibited ways. (Young, 2000)

33. Methods Search term “CSI fanfiction” +NC-17 NC-17 rating is given to stories with explicit sexual content. Looked for NC-17 rated stories that were Written by either someone with a female-oriented screen name or who identified herself as female in an online profile. Stories between 1,000 to 7,500 words were chosen for analysis. Only one story per screen name was used, with the most recent story fitting the criteria being selected.

34. Results Themes: Healthy sexual expression Communication Safer Sex Violence – very low levels

35. Implication Fan fiction provides an opportunity for women to articulate sexual fantasy in an anonymous, structured, potentially less threatening, environment. Women’s sexually explicit stories Depict high levels of healthy sexual expression and low prevalence of violence Often feature alternative sexual practices Women’s sexual fantasies differ from the prototypical pornography that targets men.

36. Thank You Contact Information: L. Kris Gowen, PhD, EdM [email_address] http://healthysexedu.blogspot.com/