Sexting, power, and patriarchy: Narratives of sexting from a college population

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the sexting experiences of college-aged students with attention to gendered understandings and motivations of sexting. We gathered data on the decision-making process, relational contexts in which sexting occurred, body-image management, and perceived outcomes of past experiences. Participants in this study were asked to describe two experiences of sexting behavior in short vignettes, and then they were prompted to respond to additional questions about the vignette and sexting. A total of 342 vignettes were read and analyzed using discourse analytic strategies of reading for positioning, construction of discourses, and implied actions.

Sexual Boundary Violations via Digital Media Among Students

“…Gender-critical positions are present only within type B. Gender stereotypes are explicitly reproduced by type A, and implicitly by type C. This finding is particularly relevant in light of the tendency to slut-shame when dealing with sexually experimental girls, and to victim-blame in order to ascribe responsibility for boundary violations to (for the most part female) victims, as also reported in other studies ( Fein, 2011 ; Ringrose et al, 2012 , 2013 ; Bonilla et al, 2020 ; Naezer and van Oosterhout, 2021 ). These patterns form a central orientation toward the dimension of gender, both for “The Disapprovers” and “The Experimenters.” Type B, however, criticizes these patterns; members of this type do not seek to ascribe responsibility to the victim.…”

“…As one aspect of digitality experienced by adolescents, it offers an opportunity for a self-determined mode of sexual communication that is generally characterized by reciprocity. By the same token, sexting is a phenomenon that is rapidly changing, meaning that academic studies relating to its definition, but also to its prevalence – as well as researchers’ analyses of it – tend to vary dramatically, and can very quickly become outdated (see Bonilla et al, 2020 ). The definition of sexting differs depending on the type of media being investigated, as well as – within academic research – on the form (text, photo, and video), the content (ranging from suggestive to explicit in terms of the degree of nudity and the sexual activity depicted), intention (ranging from non-sexual to sexual) and the medium (generally digital forms, from email through to instant messaging).…”

“…While on the one hand women and girls are expected to conform to the hegemonic representation of ideal femininity, on the other hand they run the risk of being labeled “sluts” for suggesting or explicitly showing sexual activity ( Naezer and van Oosterhout, 2021 , 3). For girls, this can mean that even when they are victims of non-consensual dissemination of their images, they are viewed as being responsible in a typical case of victim-blaming (see for example, Fein, 2011 ; Ringrose et al, 2013 ; Bonilla et al, 2020 ). In non-consensual sharing of intimate images, similar to the dynamics of offline sexual violence, the responsibility for the dissemination of the images is often placed on the victims and not on the publishers and forwarders ( Naezer and van Oosterhout, 2021 , 4).…”

A Sexualidade Em Tempos De Covid-19: O Uso De Mídias Sociais Por Homossexuais Na Pandemia

“…Bonilla, Mcginley e Lamb (2020), entretanto, afirmam ser o sexting algo comum do comportamento sexual na atualidade, principalmente entre jovens adultos e que essa prática deve ser analisada a partir de várias questões: consentimento, objetificação, autonomia, poder, gênero e desejo sexual. O gênero é um fator importante para ser considerado, uma vez que os estudos mostram que homens mandam mais nudes não solicitados do que as mulheres, e elas ainda pensam mais nas consequências pessoais depois do envio, variando em sentimentos de vergonha, rejeição e medo de julgamentos sociais (DROUIN;LANDGRAFF, 2011;BONILLA;MCGINLEY, LAMB, 2020). Isso é entendido também quando o conteúdo é divulgado sem consentimento, uma vez que os homens são vistos como "predadores sexuais" e mulheres como "promíscuas", havendo uma diferença enorme de como a sociedade e o círculo social pessoal tratam o vazamento desse tipo de imagem (BONILLA; MCGINLEY; LAMB, 2020).…”

Gender Differences in Sending Nude Pictures and Videos Across Multiple Relationship Contexts in the Adult Norwegian Population

“…When mutually consented, sending nudes is most likely harmless, but can be problematic or illegal when such content is forwarded to people without consent (Mori et al, 2020 ). On this topic, the research focus has shifted from focusing on sending nudes as a risky behavior that has negative consequences (Döring, 2009 ; Greer et al, 2022 ) to also focus on sending nudes as an act that may have benefits within specific contexts (Bonilla et al, 2020 ; Greer et al, 2022 ; Hasinoff, 2013 ).…”