The Contribution of the Internet to a Transformation of Sexual Practices.

The Contribution of the Internet to a Transformation of Sexual Practices, Joseph J. Levy and Louis-Robert Frigault, UQAM, Canada; Alain Leobon, Unite Mixte de Recherche Espace et Societe du CNRS Laboratoire CARTA, France

The internet has become an important tool for communication and meeting sexual partners among gay men, but few studies have addressed these topics in Quebec. In our study, a total of 932 gay- and bisexual-identified men (average age = 35.5) residing in the province of Quebec completed an online questionnaire about social, sexual, and romantic uses of the internet. The questionnaire asked about several dimensions, including respondents' uses of the internet, the perceived advantages of the medium for meeting others, and online and offline relationships and encounters experienced. Most participants were Montreal residents, single, and living alone. The majority of participants (78.1%) had discovered or developed an interest in at least one sexual practice, including voyeurism (50.8%), masturbation (46.7%), oral sex (37.0%), anal sex (33.0%), talking dirty (30.6%), exhibitionism (30.5%), sex toys (19.8%), orgies (18.5%), and bisexuality (17.9%). Variations were observed as a function of sociodemographic factors. The results suggest that the internet, in providing access to a great diversity of sexual practices, can contribute to a transformation of individuals' sexual scenarios. However, despite this access, the participants appeared to be selective in their interests, mainly choosing practices that can be exercised through the medium, such as voyeurism, exhibitionism, or masturbation.