Wrestling with Online Avatars: Technology and Sexual Transformation

Abstract

The chapter explores the role that sexual & networking websites/apps play in relationship formation and examine the ways in which men who have sex with men (MSM) have embraced this medium. Furthermore it is argued that the use of information technology can have a disinhibitive effect on action and can promote a sense of sexual agency which can undermine public health messages related to ‘healthy’ sexual conduct. It is argued, using ethnographic fieldwork carried out within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, that the internet provides individuals with the opportunity to use multi-modal practices to write themselves into being online.

As a registered nurse, I spent the best part of a decade working in the field of sexual health and HIV care. During this time I saw first-hand the extent to which the stigma associated with HIV, and sexual ill-health in general, resulted in significant negative psychosocial impacts on those diagnosed. I also gained an appreciation that well-tailored health care services are essential to improving the experiences of those affected. However, it became apparent that the majority of sexual health services adhere to a medical model of service provision which places health professionals at the centre of service design as opposed to the users of the services themselves. As a consequence, upon transitioning from clinical practice to my first academic post I opted to dedicate my research to uncovering narratives related to the practice of unsafe sex by straddling queer-theory and health research. As a methodology, ethnography provides me with the ideal lens through which sexual conduct narratives can be explored. It enables me to focus on individual narratives while reflecting analytically on a much wider conceptual landscape.