The Assimilation of Pornography: How Sexual Scripts Have Affected Sexting and Sexual Self-Presentation in Gay Culture

Abstract

This research paper mainly focuses on the modern day concept of sexting and how it affects sexual behavior. By discussing the origins of pornography; how pornography affects adolescents and emerging adults; the positive and negative affects of uncontrolled pornography consumption; and how gay culture has used pornography as an outlet to express sexual identity, I was able to create a study that catered to my interest. I primarily focused on the over-sexualization of gay culture and how it has impacted generations to express their sexual identity through various forms of media. Due to the limit of this study I was only able to collect personal data using the geo-social networking app Grindr to see how many users sexted with me. Results showed that users who were 1) older than 25, 2) had a non-identifiable profile picture, 3) and were single were most likely to send nudes. In general, anonymity, information left out in one's profile, had higher probabilities of sending nude photographs than those who shared more information. Further research is needed to fully grasp the spectrum of sexting within the gay community.