Sex in Cyber World

Some of you out there in Cyber World may have a burning question or two about the effect of viewing erotic images and videos online, visiting websites devoted to dating or sexual hookups, or messaging online in an erotic, titillating way with some secret, cyber sex partner. The questions that a number of people seem to have (if I can take a little literary license here) are: Does the internet lead to the horrific, debilitating downfall of many a good woman and man, as well as the devastating ruination of untold numbers of relationships? Or, is Cyber World the great exotic, enchanting hideaway e-resort or lavish luxury virtual cruise where individuals can mingle and cavort electronically, allowing them to meet the men or women of their dreams and live a life of fulfillment and delight that they wouldn’t be able to live without the internet?

Of course, these two questions are phrased in an exaggerated, hyperbolic way, like you might find in some over-the-top sensational popular magazine. Yet, I have heard some individuals refer to the viewing of erotica online and cruising the internet as absolutely and necessarily corrupting and dangerous. Like many extremist viewpoints on various issues, this doomsday perspective is not universally supported by empirical evidence. Nonetheless, even some scientific researchers focus exclusively on the adverse effects of sexually oriented online behaviors, or cybersex.

An article recently published in the Journal of Sex Research by Julie M. Albright provides new information regarding the cybersex patterns of a large group of Americans. It does not address the long-term effects of such experience, but few, if any, studies do. Professor Albright, a sociologist at the University of Southern California, analyzed data obtained by Elle Magazine and MSNBC.com in their Cybersex Survey available at the MSNBC.com website in 2004. Respondents to the survey were recruited by announcements in the Elle Magazine, on Elle.com, and on MSNBC.com. The way that the survey was conducted has both disadvantages and advantages. The downside is that people who participated were those who heard about the study and volunteered on their own; consequently, they selected themselves, rather than being randomly selected by a scientist so that we can have greater confidence that the group is an accurate reflection of the population of people who use the internet for sexual reasons. A tremendous strength of the study is that 15,246 people responded to the survey. However, 75% were men, and we have no way of knowing if that is an accurate proportion for this population.

One important issue that was addressed in this analysis was whether individuals who use the internet for sexual reasons are prone to be compulsive in their sex-seeking behaviors, one of the suspected outcomes of cybersex. Professor Albright found that only 2% of respondents spent more than 11 hours per week in internet sex-seeking behaviors, the amount identified by a previous researcher as excessive. Women were as likely as men to be in this group. The low rate means that it is unlikely that sexually oriented cyber behavior automatically leads to compulsive behavior; in fact, this outcome is very unlikely. Single individuals and gay, lesbian, or bisexual individuals were more likely to spend this extreme number of hours on cybersex compared to married and heterosexual individuals (although, again, the proportions were very small).

In fact, certain proportions of individuals indicate that they experience positive outcomes from their online experiences, although women and men appear to get somewhat different types of benefits. Women reported greater levels of chatting online about sex, possibly creating more of a “relational context,” as Albright calls it, to their internet experiences. In keeping with the relationship focus, women indicated to a slightly greater extent than men that they were more open to trying new situations and behavior as a result of viewing erotica (26% of women, 24% of men), and that it was easier to talk about what they want sexually as a result of their online experience (26% of women, 23% of men). They also were slightly more likely to employ the strategy of viewing erotic images and videos with their partner as a way to heighten sexual arousal for them (19% of women, 16% of men).

Men, in contrast, indicated to a greater extent that they viewed erotic images and videos online (75% did so) than did women (41%). Men were only very slightly more likely to view the erotica alone to increase their own sexual arousal, 16% of men compared to 14% of women. This type of viewing may have involved masturbation.

Participants in the survey also reported on whether they had experienced several negative outcomes. Smaller proportions of individuals indicated that they had experienced negative outcomes than indicated that they had experienced positive outcomes. The greatest proportion was 15% of women reporting that they had felt pressure to engage in sexual behaviors they had seen online; only 2% of men reported feeling this pressure. Slightly more women (12%) indicated that their viewing of erotica had resulted in them engaging in sex with their partner less often compared to men (9%). Although relatively rare overall, somewhat greater proportions of women (9%) felt that their partner was more critical of them as a result of viewing erotica than were men (2%). In contrast, greater proportions of men (9%) reported that they themselves were more critical of their partner as a result of erotica compared to women (2%). Again, the negative effect on views of one’s partner was relatively infrequent.

More will be said in the next blog entry about actually seeking out sexual partners online to meet in person. However, the results of this survey suggest that, with respect to viewing erotic images and videos, larger proportions of both women and men report positive outcomes than negative ones. A compulsive pattern of online sexually oriented behavior is indeed extremely rare.

Albright, J. M. (2008). Sex in America online: An exploration of sex, marital status, and sexual identity in Internet sex seeking and its impacts. Journal of Sex Research, 45, 175-186.