Sexual expressions on social media: from Instagram to Reddit Michaela Lebedíková ZURb1614 Rules for nice lecture ●This is a safe space. Everyone is welcome. We value different opinions but respect each other. I invite you to use inclusive language. ●We will discuss sexual themes, but nothing graphic will be shown. ●Be considerate when sharing experiences with the class. ● ●Resources available at the end of lecture. Table of contents Introduction: slippery slope of nudity online Sex work, sex education and shadowbanning Conclusion! 1 2 4 Constructing sexual identity via social media Finding your niche: Reddit communities 3 5 Introduction: the slippery slope of nudity online If Kim K can do it, I can too, right? 01 „The accessibility and relative anonymity afforded by digital media have also created a unique environment in which adolescents can explore their emerging sexualities, including consuming sexual media and constructing their own online sexual experiences.“ (Widman et al., 2021) „Sexualities are expressed, constructed, and negotiated in digital contexts,“ (…) The current research focuses „on three recurring strands: (a) sexual selfhood projects; (b) intimacy and online dating; and (c) sexual communities.“ (Adams-Santos, 2020) Sexuality went digital Social media a set of mobile and web-based platforms built on Web 2.0 technologies, and allowing users at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels to share and geo-tag user-generated content (images, text, audio, video and games), to collaborate, and to build networks and communities, with the possibility of reaching and involving large audiences (Ouirdi et al., 2014) Ok, so what about sex and social media? Social media What can we see on different social media? @avalonhopeofficial Obsahuje obrázek: please 🤨⁉️ Obsahuje obrázek: Popis není dostupný. Popis není dostupný. OK what? How do the algorithms work? „Nude selfies `til I die!“ - Kim Kardashian in a speech at Webby awards 2016 after she received the Break the Internet award But really? But really? According to Instagram, apparently not all nipples are equal It may seem that regulations are enforced equally – but nope. #freethenipple celebrities vs. ‚regular people‘ Emily Ratajkowski, 2. 3. 2021 But really? Emily Ratajkowski, 2. 3. 2021 Popis není dostupný. Popis není dostupný. But really? Will/should Instagram ever Free the Nipple? Try to come up with pro/cons! Real research Tukachinsky, R., Inaba, H., Kraus, K., Stewart, D., & Williams, M. (2019). Sex, likes and Instagram: Celebrity self-presentation on Instagram images. In C. Madere, Star power: The media effects created by celebrities, (pp. 165-179). Rowman & Littlefield. Main findings •Social media platforms have revolutionized the relationship between celebrities and their fanbase •Self-sexualization on social media has been assumed to be driven by attempts to gain attention and approval from followers. •In the case of celebrities, women are not only exposed to media-generated sexual standards, but they are actively participating in creating and maintaining them, and thus are even more likely to conform to these sexual norms. • Identity Constructing sexual identity on social media: how we build our presence? 02 Sexual identity Identity consists of a stable sense of one’s goals, beliefs, values, and life roles (Erikson, 1950; Marcia, 1987). Sexual identity refers to dimensions attributed to sexual orientation identity (i. e. sexual behavior and emotional attachment to other genders), and dimensions of human sexuality (e.g., sexual needs, sexual values, modes of sexual expression, preferred characteristics of sexual partners, preferred sexual activities and behaviors) as well as group membership identity (e.g., a sexual orientation identity, or considering oneself as a member of sexuality-related social groups) and attitudes toward sexual minority individuals. (Dillon et al., 2011) Identity construction and realization, challenging stereotypes A space to talk about sex while staying (pseudo)anonymous Finding what is possible, available, exploring it and dicussing it Finding valuable information about sexual health and sexuality Finding other people, sharing content, images, selfies, nudes, etc. People find new ways how to do „sex“ and „sexuality“ on social media every day! Identity work Sexual exploration Facilitating conversation Safe space Sexual education ??? How social media contribute to our identities? Male and female gaze ●Some platforms allow for sharing one‘s nude body – such as Reddit (not talking about OnlyFans here – imagine „regular“ people) ● ●Male gaze = depicting women as sexual object (sexual objectification) for the pleasure of heterosexual male viewer (c. f. Laura Mulvey!) ●Female/feminine gaze = depicting women from the point of other women (e. g. Fleabag or The Devil Wears Prada) ●Men are not exempt from sexual objectification! ●Different feminist standpoints: free sexuality vs. catering to male gaze -> similar to arguments of feminist „Sex Wars“ ●Going beyond heterosexuality: queering the gaze ○Body (dis)satisfaction among gay men > gay male gaze Binoculars Is sharing your nude body emancipatory? Why yes/why not? My Body Rocketing to world fame at age twenty-one, Ratajkowski sparked both praise and furor with the provocative display of her body as an unapologetic statement of feminist empowerment. The subsequent evolution in her thinking about our culture's commodification of women is the subject of this book. My Body is a profoundly personal exploration of feminism, sexuality, and power, of men's treatment of women and women's rationalizations for accepting that treatment. These essays chronicle moments from Ratajkowski's life while investigating the culture's fetishization of girls and female beauty, its obsession with and contempt for women's sexuality, the perverse dynamics of the fashion and film industries, and the grey area between consent and abuse. Real research Duguay, S. (2016). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Visibility Through Selfies: Comparing Platform Mediators Across Ruby Rose’s Instagram and Vine Presence. Social Media + Society, 2(2), 205630511664197. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116641975 Main points •Visibility of non-normative identities in mixed spaces of public discourse can give rise to “queer publics” (Berlant & Warner, 1995, p. 344) that open possibilities for new understandings around sexuality and gender. •Beyond sexual conversations, LGBTQ people have employed staged self-reflections on social media to engage in identity development and circulate new understandings across publics. + the importance of TikTok! J Sex work, sex education and the war with Instagram Shadowbanning & „S€GGS“ 03 It is increasingly hard for sex educational platforms and sex workers to promote their work online What are the stakes? the account exists, but becomes unsearchable / not favored by algorithm Shadowban e. g. YouTube – you can still upload, but not earn money Demonetization a.k.a. losing account forever Permanent ban special characters word play emojis pronunciation „leetspeak“ and other variations that are meant to fool the algorithm S€ggs, S€X stands for „Only Fans,“ site for selling content Lonely Clams generally understood as erotic emojis 🔥🍑🍆🌶️💦 stands for „BDSM“ .🐝DSM …and usually, there is more in the link L1NK 1N B10 Techniques to prevent shadowbans OnlyFans controversy OnlyFans is a website for creators to share and monetize their content. In reality, most of these „creators“ are sex workers. Bella Thorne: good (?) intentions and consequences ●In 2020, Thorne joined OF and promoted widely her site ●She made 2m USD in a week by charging 200 USD for nudes – that turned out to be pics in lingerie ●People demanded refund -> OF changed payments – capped tips at 100 USD, exlusive content to 50 USD and people now get paid monthly instead of weekly Sex Workers Say Bella Thorne Is Ruining OnlyFans With 'Scam' Real research Are, C., & Paasonen, S. (2021). Sex in the shadows of celebrity. Porn Studies, 8(4), 411–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2021.1974311 Main findings •Since the 2010s, sexually suggestive, semi-nude and nude photographs shared on social media have become standard in the making and maintenance of celebrity image •Bodily displays on social media are nevertheless not moderated equally. Sex workers and pole dancers in particular are often affected by account deletions and/or shadowbanning, with platforms demoting, instead of promoting, the visibility and accessibility of their content Real research Are, C., & Paasonen, S. (2021). Sex in the shadows of celebrity. Porn Studies, 8(4), 411–419. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268743.2021.1974311 •The shadowbanning of sex is partly an effect of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (FOSTA/SESTA). (…) Reversing the principle with regards to content related to sex work, FOSTA/SESTA has effectively rendered platforms liable for the content posted on them (Constine 2019; Tripp 2020). In order to comply with FOSTA/SESTA, social media platforms have been censoring an increasing amount of content to avoid being seen as facilitating sex work, while also reworking their community standards to ban sexual communication and depictions of nudity and sexual activity. •However, naked celebrities are lucrative, and draw traffic! $$$ Reddit 04 Reddit What is Reddit? ●Social media to create communities, share content, discuss and message with others ●7th most popular in the US ●More than 52 million daily users across 100 000+ communities Miller, 2022 ●Social media to create communities, share content, discuss and message with others ●7th most popular in the US ●More than 52 million daily users across 100 000+ communities r/dataisbeautiful u/flashman ●Safe exploration of sex / kinks ●Finding body assurance ○r/ratemy… ●Anonymity, pseudonymity and battling non-consensual posting ○Embodied verification (van der Nagel, 2020) ●Controversial subreddits ○Devoted to violent, explicit or illegal content ○i. e. photos of underaged girls, non-consensual photos, etc. Real research Tiidenberg, K., & van der Nagel, E. (2020). WHAT’S AT STAKE WHEN SEX IS DEPLATFORMED?. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research, 2020. https://doi.org/10.5210/spir.v2020i0.11348 Main points •Sex is also worried about, moralized over, and increasingly regulated by social media platforms through a combination of human and automated means. •Taking away platform for sex means: loss of support and self-actualization for queer people; less diverse content and lack of spaces to discuss sex as an everyday part of life; loss of safe spaces; inability to construct sexual self online • 05 Now… a task! Please take 5 minutes to write down things that surprised you / got you thinking / found inspirational. Use your phone, computer, paper, whatever. Let‘s share them! Conclusion Resources https://www.muni.cz/en/students/sexual-harassment Reducing domestic abuse – Safer Rotherham Partnership Thank you! Liked my lecture? Let me know and let‘s stay in touch! @mlebedikova m.lebedikova@mail.muni.cz Bibliography Miller, B. (2022). 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