Sexuality and intimacy online
Sunday, October 11, 2009 by Zhou Jiang
by Zhou Jiang
I agree with Giddens that 'intimacy at a distance' is accompanied by 'proximity without intimacy'. It does seem that people have less contact with their neighbours while being in great contact with whose far away. We should remember, however, that many people, especially women, used to maintain correspondence by regular post for many years or decades with old friends and relatives who they had not seen in person for years.
There is a difference between intimacy and the disclosure of intimate information. Nowadays some young people post information about their intimate lives on the net, but that does not mean that they experience intimacy with the people they disclose the information to. Indeed, it might be because the readers of this information are strangers or mere acquaintances that people feel like disclosing so much. Many online contacts do not last long.
Arvidsson's study of the Match.com dating website reminds us that the disclosure a certain amount of intimate information can be as much of a tactic as genuine attempt to reach out intimately.
Spink et al's study finds a decline in sex-related inquiries. This many be because those who want pornography know where to find it already. It is possible that the internet is settling more and more its inches- different groups of users all have their own interests and their might be less 'generalist' searching and more searches for very specific information or web names.
Reference Lists:
Arvidsson, A. (2006). Quality Singles: Internet dating and the work of fantasy. New Media and Society, 8 (4), 671-690.
Giddens, A. (1992). The Transformation of Intimacy: sexuality, love, and eroticism in modern societies. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Spink,A., Partridge, H.,& Hansen, B.J. (2006). Sexual and pornographic web searching. First Monday, 11 (9).
I agree with Giddens that 'intimacy at a distance' is accompanied by 'proximity without intimacy'. It does seem that people have less contact with their neighbours while being in great contact with whose far away. We should remember, however, that many people, especially women, used to maintain correspondence by regular post for many years or decades with old friends and relatives who they had not seen in person for years.
There is a difference between intimacy and the disclosure of intimate information. Nowadays some young people post information about their intimate lives on the net, but that does not mean that they experience intimacy with the people they disclose the information to. Indeed, it might be because the readers of this information are strangers or mere acquaintances that people feel like disclosing so much. Many online contacts do not last long.
Arvidsson's study of the Match.com dating website reminds us that the disclosure a certain amount of intimate information can be as much of a tactic as genuine attempt to reach out intimately.
Spink et al's study finds a decline in sex-related inquiries. This many be because those who want pornography know where to find it already. It is possible that the internet is settling more and more its inches- different groups of users all have their own interests and their might be less 'generalist' searching and more searches for very specific information or web names.
Reference Lists:
Arvidsson, A. (2006). Quality Singles: Internet dating and the work of fantasy. New Media and Society, 8 (4), 671-690.
Giddens, A. (1992). The Transformation of Intimacy: sexuality, love, and eroticism in modern societies. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Spink,A., Partridge, H.,& Hansen, B.J. (2006). Sexual and pornographic web searching. First Monday, 11 (9).