Performing the Discourse of Sexuality Online

Abstract

This chapter focusses on Foucault, Butler, and video-sharing on sexual social networking sites. It argues that the use and prevalence of video-sharing technologies on sexual social networking websites, has a direct impact on our notions of sexual identity. Though sometimes pitted against one another and at times contradictory, the ideas of Michel Foucault and Judith Butler on the nature and expression of our sexuality and our gender identities in fact gel rather well, and both can help us to gain a deeper and more rounded picture of the impact and importance of the burgeoning phenomenon of internet dating websites in general, and sexual social networking in particular.

Creating convivial affordances: A study of virtual world social movements

“…When LGBT individuals come together as a community, they can support each other (Savage, Harley, & Nowak, ) and can become more aware of members' similarities within the group and can overcome threats from outside the group (Baumeister & Vohs, ; Maki, ). Some examples of online spaces include, for example, video‐sharing technologies on sexual social networking sites (Kreps, ), or online sex groups (Ashford, ). Virtual worlds enable LGBT individuals to come together to express their identity (Cabiria, ).…”