Transcript The Internet & Teen Sexuality

The Internet & Teen Sexuality
Section 06
Chereen Zaki - Ashley Mannes - Qres Ephraim
Lydia Kelow - Stephanie Kwak - Audai Shakour
Facebook: Not the place!
PerezHilton.com
- Example of
popular
literature that
promotes
promiscuity
The Issue
How does the Internet affect the way that
teens/youth express and construct their
sexuality?
Does the Internet make access to sexually explicit
material easier?
• Is it more prevalent on Social Networking
websites?
Does the Internet and Social Networking sites
encourage sexual content and open-mindedness?
Our case study question was broad due to:
•Gaps in the literature
•Teen sexuality a taboo topic,
teens (minors, children) are a
protected group
•Most helpful to focus on future areas
of study
DISCIPLINES
 Communication
 Teens use of the Internet to communicate their sexuality
 Sociology
 Social factors that influence the expression of sexuality on the
internet
 Why these disciplines?
 We wanted a more complete view of the process (structuration
theory)
 Interviews
 Ex: “Social Networking sites (i.e. Facebook, Myspace, etc.) encourage
sexual content.”
 Demographics: Adults, Teachers, Young Adults, and Teens
COMMUNICATION DISCIPLINE
What are the socio-psychological and socio-cultural
implications of Internet content on youth?
Additional focus on cybernetic and rhetorical
communication
COMMUNICATION DISCIPLINE
Gaps:
Methods:
•Youth language codes
•Conduct focus groups and
surveys to explore teen use of
the internet and sexuality
•Internet as the new
Sex Ed.
•Rhetorical analysis of codes
on homepages
SOCIOLOGY DISCIPLINE
Critical, qualitative and positivist
(empirical) perspectives
SOCIOLOGY DISCIPLINE
Gaps:
Methods:
Internet influence on social
structures, specifically teen
culture
Empirical investigation
through surveys and
interviews
Teen demographics and
internet use
(hypersegmentation and
massification)
Critical analysis of teen
sexuality in the broader
culture
ADVANTAGES OF AN
INTERDISCIPLINARY CCT PERSPECTIVE
More complete picture of the question
• Focus on social groups and social organization
(sociology) AND focus on acts of communication
(communication)
Multiple methodologies available
• Sociology: Critical, quantitative and qualitative
methodologies—surveys, ethnographies, observations
• Communication: Multiple methodologies that are
quantitative, qualitative, and critical—surveys,
ethnographies, semiotic and rhetorical analysis, some
controlled experiments
CAUTIONS WITH
INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE
Tendency to draw too
strong of a distinction
between analysis of
social groups and social
organization, and the
medium, when both are
actually in play
(structuration theory)
Significant overlap
in the two
perspectives we
chose
RESEARCH PLAN
• Longitudinal study of teen use of the internet in understanding and
expressing sexuality
• Surveys: demographics, HOW teens use the internet to communicate
sexuality
• Content analysis—based on what teens say they use, we can analyze
homepages and chat rooms for codes
• Critical analysis—reading the results using frameworks of social
structures (e.g. contingency, mass media, convergence)
CONCLUSION
The influence of the internet on teen sexuality is a broad
topic that needs focus investigation and multiple
methodologies.
We also would like to expand our research to other forms
of technology, since sexuality is clearly pervasive across
multiple platforms.
For example, sexting phenomenon.