Context of Sexting

          When we talked about sexting in class I immediately thought about the celebrity sexting scandal that occurred. There was a huge debate whether it was the women’s faults for sending the photos, or the hackers’ faults for taking them. I never thought that this should be a debate in the first place. I completely side with the women and think that it is the hackers’ faults (after all, isn’t that illegal?). But this controversial issue raises much larger questions then just who is to blame. This situation opens a window for sexting to be talked about to the entire society, and it also shows the terrifying effects of sexting. Did this scandal stop people from sexting? Of course not, but it provided a way for the public to engage in the way technology can interfere with our public lives and it also showed how prevalent sexting is among individuals of all ages.

 

            Sexting seems to be extremely prevalent among high school students and college students. But from what I have observed, sexting occurs differently among ages. When I was in high school I felt as though individuals that were exchanging photographs were not necessarily in a relationship, and it was mostly men who were randomly asking for nude photos. But when I came to college I noticed that only people in relationships would talk about sexting. I believe the age gap between individuals explains the different contexts of sexting. For example, high school students are much younger and are just beginning to explore their sexual selves, while college students may be more comfortable sexually and sexting may be more expressive than demanding. In this case it makes sense that in college, students in relationships are the ones sexting more. This might be because the couple enjoys sharing their bodies with each other and it is a way for them to express themselves when they are not together. When individuals are younger, they may not have as much experience with the body of the other sex. So they might seek out sexting in order to see the different variations in the opposite sex’s body. For the men, they may feel sexting is a mature thing to do, and by getting photos of women they are getting some power, and can show this off to their friends. The idea of showing each other the photos may represent their masculinity among their peers, and this may be a reason for how nude photos circulate.

            Lippman & Campbell (2014) found that over half of the individuals they studied said that sexting occurred in a romantic or sexual context. This makes sense because I wouldn’t expect two random individuals to sext each other if they had no interest sexually or emotionally. But this study goes on to explain the different scenarios in which sexting occurs. The one I found most interesting was when they talked about people in relationships. These individuals said that they only sext their partner because their partner has already been with them sexually. I feel as if this does make sense in a way, but I also feel like it doesn’t. If the couple sees each other every day, I do not understand why they would feel the need to share photos when they could just get together physically. But I do feel like sexting in a long distance relationship is different.

            I feel as if sexting in a long distance relationship is actually a positive thing. The one major downside of sexting is that the image never disappears once it is sent; so if you don’t have complete trust in this individual now and always then the consequences may be huge. But otherwise I feel as if sexting is a great way to express one’s self. Sometimes when a couple has been apart for a long time it may become difficult to connect emotionally without a sense of physical touch. The couple may also crave sexual attention or behavior, and when the other individual isn’t around to engage sexually, the couple in turn may feel as if the passion is not a part of their relationship anymore. When couples get older and more mature sex tends to be part of a healthy relationship. So that’s why I feel as if sexting can be beneficial, because it provides a way for the couple to remember the beauty in each other, and it provides a way for the two of them to express themselves sexually even when they cannot be together.
        I don’t understand the context in which sexting occurs in high school or at a younger age. When two individuals are going to see each other the next day in school, why do they feel the need to sext? Why don’t they just get together and explore physically, why does it have to be over the phone? There are so many consequences that arise from sending a text to someone whom you don’t trust, so why take the risk when you are physically in the same area? I can understand how it can be used as foreplay, but I feel like physical touch would be more enjoyable. Especially when you are sexting in a high school environment it seems that there are more risks that can arise because students of this age all go to the same school at the same time every day and they may not be as mature, allowing for a higher chance that the photo circulates around. I think the reason behind why younger students sext is interesting and I think it is a subject that should be further studied. 


References:
Lippman, J., Campbell, S. (2014) Damned if you do, damned if you don't... If you're a girl: Relational and normative contexts of adolescent sexting in the United States. Journal of Children and Media, 8 (4) 371-386.