Sexual life in the age of the Internet

Nowadays, where the development of technology is developing rapidly. And the possibilities that we have now have not been dreamed of by anyone a few decades ago, new technological solutions have also found applications in the sphere of sexual satisfaction.

The literature describes various typologies of IAS (Internet sexual activity), which have been divided into: a) individual (viewing eroticism and pornography), b) relational (sexting, erotic chats) and c) informational (searching for information on sexuality) [3].

Alvin Cooper developed the concept of the “triple A drive” explaining the sexual possibilities created by the Internet: anonymity, accessibility and affordability [1]. Online anonymity is a big advantage because it gives a person a lot of freedom in action. As an example, you can give young people who get to know their sexuality and on forums or websites they can find out about various questions that bother them, or people who would like to virtually satisfy their innermost erotic fantasies and are afraid to admit to them openly. This also applies to people who are unsure of their sexuality on the Internet and seek information on this topic, away from harassment by other people. Internet sexual activities cover a wide spectrum of behaviors carried out thanks to the availability of the Internet.

Access to the Internet is almost everywhere, we have it at homes, schools or even in parks. A person can connect to the Internet at any time with the help of a cell phone in order to obtain information. The possibilities are huge in exploring your sexuality, learning about it, and experimenting in it, being anonymous and away from criticizing others. It is a good source and a safe place for people who are just getting to know their sexuality and are not quite sure about it yet. This allows them to connect with others on the forums and support each other. For example, LGBTQ + people more often than other Internet users use the Internet in search of a partner [1]. The Internet can also be a good tool for people with disabilities, who in this way, they can satisfy their sexual curiosity and establish intimate relationships in various chat rooms. However, depending on the purpose and form of carrying out such activity, it may have a positive or negative impact on sexual development. However, it should be remembered that by satisfying your curiosity in the field of, for example, sexual health, you can find unreliable information, not supported by any scientific evidence. They can do more harm than good.

In most cases, online sexual activity does not contribute to negative personal and social consequences. However, there are vulnerable individuals where such involvement in this form of activity may become compulsive and lead to loss of control and instrumental sexual behavior, e.g. masturbation with the use of pornographic material or the use of video chat as the only form of sexual stimulation. Addiction to masturbation or pornographic films often leads to various forms of sexual dysfunction, to shallow relationships in a relationship, or lower sexual appetite.

Read more: Internet Sex Addiction

Various forms of cellular applications are used today, which make it easy to connect with other people in a simple and transparent way. They are also often used to establish short and casual sexual relationships. In the past, this form of establishing relationships was mainly the domain of men, nowadays, also women agree to this form of “Internet acquaintance”.

An interesting phenomenon that arose with the development of technology is cybersex. It is an interaction (with the use of the Internet) of at least two people with the help of e.g. messengers, webcams or photos [5]. There are often websites dedicated to this purpose that offer chat exclusively on this topic. The effect of this is to stimulate or achieve sexual arousal. It is a facilitation especially for shy and lonely people who want to self-esteem or experience something new. Also social groups in which revealing their sexual needs is strongly repressed, e.g. in homosexual people, such places are safe for them. Often, during such a chat, nude photos or videos of the person on the other side of the screen are sent for additional sexual stimulation. Prostitution has also become cybernetized over time, there are various websites that, after paying the appropriate fee, give access to exclusive chat rooms where a person or a couple stimulates or has sex live and fulfills all the whims of the viewer who can comment on it and write to them.

Cybersex also brings a lot of risk, as you can never be sure who is sitting on the other side of the screen. The person sharing their photos may become a victim of blackmail. Often, chat rooms are also an ideal place for preferential sex offenders. Today, the Internet makes it easier for adults who commit or plan to sexually abuse children to contact their victims. Various types of messengers and chats can facilitate building a relationship with the future victim without having to meet him in the real world. What could tell a child the true age or intentions of a stranger. Thanks to this, the future perpetrator can delay the first meeting with the victim for a long time, until he judges that he has already built a strong enough bond with the child so that his disclosure does not make the child feel that he has been cheated. The Internet has therefore introduced a new, intermediate stage in the development of certain types of relationships. It has created the ability to build relationship intimacy at a distance, which a pedophile can use in the seduction process to convey sexual content to the child, and at the same time gain his trust and even love. At this stage, the child may open up to the possibility of meeting the perpetrator in the real world and accepting his sexual offerings. Until they meet in the real world, the age of the pedophile may become an irrelevant detail for a child. The victim will still see the perpetrator as “the same person that she has come to know and love [4].

The internet often has two different light and dark sides. It can be used as a repository of knowledge about human anatomy and sexuality, as a safe haven and a place of support for people in need of it (often from socially harassed groups). On the other hand, the Internet can be wild and dark, and more and more often associated with the subculture of exotic or illegal sex and other forms of crime.

Author: Marcin Walicki

Footnotes:

1. Lew-Starowicz M, Lew-Starowicz Z, Skrzypulec-Plinta V. Seksuologia, s. 473 Cyberseksualność. Wyd. 1, Warszawa 2018.
2. Leśnicka A.K. (2011) Zjawisko cyberseksu z perspektywy psychologii społecznej/ Przegląd Seksuologiczny nr 27, lipiec/wrzesień 2011.
3. Shaughnessy K., Byers E.S., Walsh L. (2011), Online sexual activity experience of heterosexual students: Gender similarities and differences, “Archives of Sexual Behavior”, Vol. 40(2).
4. Carr J. Internet a wykorzystywanie seksualne dzieci i pornografia dziecięca, The National Children’s Home (NCF), tłumaczenie Agnieszka Nowak
5. Beatriz. LAM. Online infidelity in internet chat rooms: an ethnographic exploration.
6. Carnes PJ. The anatomy of arousal: three Internet portals. SEX Rel Ther.
7. Leśnicka A.K. (2008) Uzależnienie od cyberseksu – znak czasu czy jednostka nozologiczna Przegląd Seksuologiczny. nr 15, s. 17-20.