Electronic Cloak: Secret Sexual Deviance in Cybersociety (From Dot.cons: Crime, Deviance and Identity on the Internet, P 53-67, 2003, Yvonne Jewkes, ed. -- See NCJ-199525)

• NCJ Number: 199529
• Author(s): Heather DiMarco
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter discusses how the pornographic and sex-oriented Internet sites have liberated Internet users to engage in an anonymous exploration of aspects of their sexual identities that, in many cases, have been suppressed in the non-cyber world, where the exposure of their sexual needs and desires is more risky and can have devastating consequences.

Abstract

The chapter focuses on women Internet users, for whom the Internet is arguably especially empowering in providing a space to explore sexual boundaries in a society dominated by patriarchal definitions of sexual norms. Chat rooms in particular provide a safe environment for women to indulge their fantasies and to collect sexual experiences. Through Internet communication in an anonymous environment, women can experiment with same-sex partnerships while simultaneously preserving their self-image as "normal"/heterosexual in real life. Further, individuals can use chat rooms as a practice ground for rehearsing their later, real-life interactions. For individuals who feel compelled to keep aspects of their identity or sexuality hidden from even close family and friends, the Internet may provide a welcome respite where they can suspend their usual presentations of self that conform to the perceived expectations of those whose love and acceptance they desire.