Sexuality and the Internet.

Net.SeXXX: Readings on Sex, Pornography, and the Internet. Edited by Dennis D. Waskul. New York: Peter Lang, 2004, 340 pages. Paper.

As personal computers became relatively inexpensive, widespread use of Internet technologies for individual and occupational purposes has considerably affected the everyday lives of individuals from all walks of life (Chen, Wigand, & Nilan, 1999). More and more, people from both developed and developing countries are becoming identified by online usernames, passwords, and code names serving both leisure and business Internet pursuits.

Cybersex has been likened to a kind of "sexual revolution" with more than 100,000 Web sites featuring all kinds of sexual content, such as erotic photos, videos, live sex acts, and Web-cam strip sessions (Carries, 2001; Cooper, Boies, Maheu, & Greenfield, 2001). Visits to pornographic sites have increased with some sites reporting as many as 50 million hits (Worden, 2001). Although the majority of Internet users tend to be recreational or utilitarian oriented, some end up becoming "addicted" to Cybersex. According to a survey conducted by the Marital and Sexuality Center and MSNBC (2002), 6.5% of the male Internet population reported spending nearly six hours per week engaging in Cybersex.

The edited book Net.SeXXX provides a detailed investigation into the intricacies of Internet pornography. Included in the discussions are issues concerning societal values, worldviews, morality and justice, ethics, atypical behaviors, interpersonal relationships, gender issues, economics, technology, social forces, culture, and social institutions. In a casual and easy-to-understand tone, and with useful concluding sections at the end of every chapter, Net.SeXXX provides a thought-provoking account of human sexual diversity. This quality makes the book suitable for a wide range of educational--both undergraduate and graduate students in social science departments--and lay audiences who are interested in gaining valuable knowledge about an otherwise neglected and taboo area of sexuality. The chapters encourage readers to engage in critical introspection, thereby enabling them to arrive at their own conclusion regarding the value and utility of this new form of human sexual expression.

The editor, Waskul, rightly contends that Internet sex is more than just the use of a modern medium for sexual ends; it is more a reflection of today's fast-pace social life characterized by individuality, impersonality, materialism, and social isolation. Since different people, and even the same individuals at different times, express a wide range of responses concerning cybersex, Waskul tries to avoid providing a universal truth about it. Instead, through the use of the various pro and con narratives presented in the book, Waskul manages to provide an exploratory investigation of the multiple realities surrounding the topic so that the reader can assess them and arrive at his or her own conclusion.

Waskul argues that: "Internet sex is largely composed of images, systems of meaning, and forms of interaction that are conspicuously familiar" (p. 4). The nature of the cybersex sexual immetry is characterized by the usual themes of any pornographic medium, such as androcentric bias, female sexual exploitation, and a consistent refutation of established moral beliefs. However, as Waskul points out, there does exist a distinguishing feature of this new pornographic medium that sets it apart from its predecessors, having to do primarily with the incredibly convenient availability of a high volume of varying types of pornography to large masses of individuals.

Until relatively recently, individuals refrained from fully embracing their pornographic pursuits out of fear of public exposure and humiliation, such as getting caught (a) purchasing pornographic magazines from a gas station or a bookstore, (b) renting X-rated video tapes, or (c) viewing pornographic movies at an X-rated theater. Cybersex expanded the horizons of the pornography industry by offering consumers the opportunity to enjoy an unimaginable variety of material in the comfort and anonymity of their homes.

Concerning the increased variety of Internet pornography, compared to other more traditional media, Waskul makes an interesting point that this is not only due to the technological superiority of the Internet but also to the different types of people who are gaining access to sexually explicit materials. As more and more individuals of different socioeconomic levels and tastes become cybersex consumers, the more varied the content of Internet sex sites becomes to meet individual consumer's needs.

Waskul rightly argues that for many individuals, the Internet constitutes an important avenue for healthy sexual pursuits. For instance, he contends that Internet sexual resources might prove very useful for (a) homosexual adolescents, physically/mentally challenged, unattractive, or shy individuals living in rural areas far removed from the social support networks of urban areas, and (b) women who desperately seek anonymity in an effort to expand their sexual repertoire beyond the limited bounds of the androcentric double standard. Although cybersexual pursuits by committed couples have often been labeled as a new kind of "virtual infidelity," the editor goes on to say that easy access to Internet sex has also rejuvenated otherwise monotonous monogamous relationships.

The readings in Part One point to the apparent self-fluidity afforded by cybersexual encounters, whereby physical personhood is substituted for the virtual variety. This self-fluidity, or disembodiment/hyperfluidity of selfhood as the editor puts it, allows anyone to be anything since one's physical presence is not required for the Internet encounter. Instead, each individual is represented by his or her virtual self and the line between reality and fiction is blurred. This kind of Internet dramaturgy (Goffman, 1959) is intensified to the point where sensationalism becomes the predominant theme, the mode operatis, for all the actors and actresses who hide behind the masks of their virtual identities.

In Part Two of the book, the various intricacies of cybersex are explored, investigated through the lens of cyborg (part human and part machine) sensuality and sexuality. The various authors explain how Internet sex and pornography reflect contemporary sociocultural change and how the boundaries of human, machine, and electronic circuitry have blended to create a "unique stew" characterized by a host of new possibilities but also controversies and ambiguities.

Part Three views cybersex from the deficit lens of deviance and failed ethics, delving into such common presumptions of Internet sex as Internet addiction, cybersex compulsivity, virtual infidelity, and troublesome issues of misuse, victimization, and abuse. As Waskul points out: "The sheer volume of these troublesome tales and the ease with which they circulate in popular culture clearly illustrate a moral bias that continues to color understandings of the intersection of sex and technology" (p. 105).

Unfortunately, Internet sex has facilitated the exploitation and victimization of women and children by sexual predators, who, hiding behind a veil of anonymity, roam cyberspace relatively undetected, posing all sorts of pretenses in their efforts to lure unsuspected victims. In addition, the global nature of the Internet has posed considerable challenges for the various agents of social control who are in desperate need of international cooperative practices if they are to effectively monitor Internet misuse. However, Waskul's advice is not to "throw out the baby with the bath water," urging us not to merely view Internet sex as just another modern-day psychosocial ailment but, instead, as a social, cultural, and historical phenomenon reflecting our era of fast-paced change.

Part Four examines how the construction of virtual personhood takes place within the pre-established contexts of gender, race, and ethnicity. While the cybersexual environment tends to free us from the restraining bounds of gender imperatives--thereby allowing for the exploration of our gender identities--it simultaneously objectifies women through circulation of degrading images of their virtual sexual personas.

The readings in Part Five provide an exploratory investigation into the world of the Internet pornography industry. These chapters point to the various avenues taken by the industry in its effort to utilize Internet technology effectively and efficiently, thereby challenging the boundaries of social institutions as well as providing a profitable means to monetary ends. Editor Waskul points out that few individuals are aware of the pivotal role played by the pornography industry in facilitating the development of e-commerce generally.

Finally, in Part Six, the future of Internet sex is discussed. Waskul contends that, as individuals become increasingly affected by technology, they will continue to consume pornography at higher and higher rates by employing predominant technological means for their sexual ends, be they leisurely or driven by curiosity or sexual desire.

The relative ease of establishing and maintaining sexual connections on the Internet may have adverse effects on both intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships (Benotsch, Kalichman, & Cage, 2002). Some individuals may invest such a considerable amount of time, money, and energy in cybersex that they find themselves becoming sexually "addicted" and socially and emotionally unavailable to their flesh-and-bone relationship partners. Although prevailing negative attitudes towards cybersex represent legitimate concerns, most individual consumers never reach the point of problematic use. Therefore, such attitudes oftentimes represent just another attempt to suppress pornography in general by moralists and religious conservatives who continue to adhere to the doctrine that masturbation is harmful. Still, it is important to acknowledge that cybersex does represent a special form of pornography, which may be potentially more harmful (due to the relative ease of electronic communication) to interpersonal relationships compared to more traditional pornographic outlets (Lane, 2000).

REFERENCES

Benotsch, E. G., Kalichman, S., & Cage, M. (2002). Men who have met sex partners via the Internet: Prevalence, predictors, and implications for HIV prevention. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 177-183.

Carnes, R J. (2001). Cybersex, courtship, and escalating arousal: Factors in addictive sexual desire. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 8, 45-78.

Chen, H., Wigand, R. T., & Nilan, M. S. (1999). Optimal experience of Web activities. Computers in Human Behavior, 15, 585-608.

Cooper, A., Boies, S., Maheu, M., & Greenfield, D. (2001). Sexuality and the Internet: The next sexual revolution. In L. T. Szuchman & F. Muscarella (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on human sexuality (pp. 519-545). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Doubleday.

Lane, F. S. (2000). Obscene profits: The entrepreneurs of pornography in the cyber age. New York: Routledge.

Marital and Sexuality Center and MSNBC Survey, (2002, January 8). EuropeMedia.

Worden, S. (2001, March). E-trafficking. Foreign Policy, 92-97.

Reviewed by Andreas G. Philaretou, Ph.D., Western Michigan University, Department of Family & Consumer Sciences, 3022 Kohrman Hall, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5322; e-mail: [e-mail].