Being naked on the internet: young people’s selfies as intimate edgework

Hetero-sexting as mediated intimacy work: ‘Putting something on the line’

“…In bringing in this new conception of sexting risk, the findings presented in this article are also in line with those presented in other articles on online sexual cultures by, for example, Marijke Naezer (2018) and Matt Hart (2017). Their research -which explores young people's engagement in 'online sexual activities' (Naezer, 2018) and the posting of 'naked self-photographs' to Tumblr blogs (Hart, 2017) -show how research participants operate with understandings of risk that are infinitely more complex and multi-faceted than are perceptions of risk simply as something to avoid.…”

From risky behaviour to sexy adventures: reconceptualising young people’s online sexual activities

“…According to Hart (2017), young people's practice of sharing sexy (i.e. 'risky') selfies on Tumblr can be considered edgework: research participants negotiated boundaries of morality/immorality and order/disorder; prepared and deployed specific skills; and maintained a perception of control.…”

Friends, lovers, risk and intimacy: risk-taking as a socially meaningful practice

“…In this way, our study adds an alternative theoretical and empirical framing of the concepts of 'risk' and 'risk-taking' to existing research on intimate photo sharing among young people, emphasising its socially meaningful and productive role in the (re)production of intimate relationships. Th is adds a new perspective to existing work on youthful risk taking focusing on 'edgework' and risk as a purpose in its own right (Hart, 2017) as well as being a way of dealing with the conditions of late modernity (Morrisey, 2008). While risk may very well be a purpose in its own right, it might also serve extrinsic purposes such as the establishment of intimate relationships beyond the context of the family.…”

“…Th e practice involves the sharing of 'nudes' -photos of naked or half-naked bodies -among couples or peers for a range of purposes. A minority of studies have explored the relative 'mundanity' of this practice as a way of 'practising' romance and exploring sexuality (Albury & Crawford, 2012;Davidson, 2015), while the majority of the available research in the fi eld has focused on its risky nature within a relatively traditional perspective, such as its association with general risky behaviour (Van Ouytsel et al, 2015, 2017 or cyberbullying and victimisation (Van Ouytsel, Walrave, & Van Gool, 2014). Th ere are good reasons for this, because sexting involves a great deal of actual risk tied to the consequences of unauthorised sharing.…”

“…However, as noted in the introduction, risk may indeed represent a purpose in its own right and a means to an end. In some cases, sexting may take the form of 'edgework' or voluntary risk taking (Hart, 2017), where the risk itself becomes the purpose of the activity. In other cases, posting "risky selfi es" on Tumblr may form part of "knowing, experiencing, understanding and experiencing bodies" (Tiidenberg & Cruz, 2015, p. 94) within a more general emancipatory project.…”