Online Prostitution Among Millennials: A Consequence of Westernized Lifestyles?

Abstract

This study employs critical ethnographic methods to explore the motives and models of online prostitution among millennials. The purposive selection of informants who have been practicing online prostitution for at least two years revealed that economic needs, a desire to follow trends, lack of family affection, trauma with a partner, and a high appetite for frequent premarital sex are among the reasons for entering online prostitution. Additionally, the study found that being a single parent and the westernized lifestyle of the millennial generation are contributing factors to entering online prostitution. Two models of online student sex workers were identified: the "ayam kampus" mode, a private sex service, and the online booking "BO," a common sex service that includes in-person sex services, sex chats, video calls, and sex videos. While informants considered online prostitution to be wrong in terms of religion and norms, it was viewed as better than following the popular culture trend of Friends with Benefits (FWB). Lastly, informants were found to be open-minded but subjected to cultural deculturation. The results suggest a need for interventions that address the underlying economic and social factors that lead to online prostitution among millennials .