| Sense and Sensuality - Finding Sex Partners Online - Winter 08/09 |
|
|
|
| Written by Sarah Stefanson | |||||||
|
Is finding casual sex partners online safer than picking them up at the bar? The internet has changed the way we work, research, interact, socialize, and entertain ourselves. It has also made pornography a ubiquitous part of our modern lives. With the availability of sexual content and the social networking capabilities of surfing the net, it was really just a matter of time before finding offline sex partners online would become a common practice. There are websites designed specifically for this purpose, such as Adult FriendFinder, and nearly every regular dating site has an option for those looking for 'intimate encounters'. Online dating has become incredibly popular and the number of people searching for casual sexual encounters has also risen significantly. Eighteen to 24-year-olds are the age group most often taking advantage of the internet as a tool to meet people, but older adults are also starting to appreciate the benefits of going online to find potentials mates and dates. The relative anonymity offered by online interaction also makes it easier to find casual sex partners. If you are visiting a site with the express purpose of finding someone for a no-strings-attached sexual encounter, you are more likely to come across people with similar goals. As opposed to the complications of ending an interaction when meeting someone at a bar or other public place, if you decide that an online potential partner isn't what you're looking for, it is as easy as hitting a button to make them go away. So is the relative ease of setting up a purely sexual encounter online more or less dangerous than the tried and true method of picking up a stranger in a bar for a one night stand? There have been suspicions that sexual encounters arranged online are more likely to lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but there is little evidence to support this idea. In fact, meeting a sex partner online may allow a person to talk more freely and openly about safe sex practices than they would when meeting someone out in the world. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2000 found that those who found their sex partners online were "more likely than others to have used a condom the last time they had anal or vaginal sex (47% vs. 38%) and were more open to visiting a chat room devoted to risk reduction (32% vs. 26%)." On the flip side, researchers found that those who found partners online had same sex partners, engaged in anal sex, and met partners in a bar, which are thought of as higher risk sexual behaviours, more than those who did not. Whether sexual encounters were arranged online or not made little difference to the occurrence of having sex while drunk or high, discussing HIV and STIs with partners, or using condoms during oral sex. The Denver Metro Health Clinic performed a study to determine the connection between STI transmission and sexual partners found online between August 2006 and September 2007. Although researchers admit more studies need to be done to determine the exact relationship between the two, the study found that "sexual encounters with partners met on the internet may not be as risky as previously thought and may be protective in some groups," due to higher likelihood of condom use. Another study conducted in Sweden and published in CyberPsychology & Behavior showed that "using the internet to find sex partners may be less hazardous for the general internet users than pointed out by prior research about this behaviour." There are necessary precautions one must take when meeting any stranger for the first time, whether they are an online find or not. When the possibility of a sexual encounter is thrown into the mix, safety becomes even more important. There are those who would never consider a casual sexual encounter of any kind, but for those whose lifestyle includes such occurrences, the internet can make the process easier, less awkward, and potentially even safer than picking up a drunk stranger at the bar. Also, it's important to acknowledge that the internet can be invaluable as a means of spreading necessary knowledge on safe sex practices and STIs. Many individuals, young people especially, would likely research a sexual question online before posing the same to a teacher, parent, or friend. Sex education websites like www.sexualityandu.ca can be extremely helpful resources for parents, educators, and young people. So while the internet is partly responsible for young people being sexualized at much younger ages, it can also be part of the solution by offering free, non-biased information on sexuality. Sources: Using the Internet to Find Offline Sex Partners Kristian Daneback, Sven-Axel Mansson, Michaelw. Ross. CyberPsychology & Behavior. February 1, 2007, 10(1): 100-107. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9986. Finding Sex Partners On-Line: What's the Risk for STI? Might There Be a Benefit? Alia Al-Tayyib and Cornelis Rietmeijer. Denver Public Health Department, 605 Bannock St, Denver, CO, USA Among Young Adults, Use of the Internet to Find Sexual Partners is Rising Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Volume 34, Number 6, November/December 2002 Everybody's Doing It Cornell students search Craigslist for casual sexual encounters The Cornell Daily Sun, February 22, 2008 www.sexualityandu.ca Comments (1)
 Write comment
| |||||||
View all articles by this author |
|||||||
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
