Cyber-sex

I had a read of Marnie Ferree’s report on women and their cyber-sex activities and implications on the web. In short, Ferree believes that women are often omitted from discussions of cyber-sex activity and addiction. The failure for clinicians to recognise this will put women’s compulsions at risk of being unresolved and detrimental for their health. Ferree reports a study by Cooper et al (2000) that found that although women are less frequent uses of the internet then men (14% to 86% respectively) they accounted for one fifth of cyber-sex addicts. Women are involved in a number of online sexual activities that men also participate in. They include solitary activity (eg. viewing or distributing porn, reading erotica) and interactive activity (eg. Exchanging emails, sexual chat rooms or cyber-sex). Ferree goes on to say that women mostly follow these interactive activities, namely emails and chat rooms, because they want romance and love in their sexual activities. It’s annoying that the vibe in Ferree’s paper is that women are looking for ‘love’ and are addicted to the relationship factor of the net. The internet for women becomes romanticised, I feel that it isn’t this way at all. It’s a way for women to feel empowered and take control of their sexual nature. It’s like a women looking for a one night stand, it’s less heard off but nonetheless women are out their wanting it.

Ferree writes in a way that makes women seem amateurs in the world of the internet and sex. Women are just attuned in the cyber-sex world as men are and for some it has been a way to act out their sexual desires. Also, there are far more porn stars that are creating their business and profile on the net, who are women. Displaying their bodies through pornography for women can be an empowering thing. Housewives sitting at home with the internet can participate in such a display and feel empowered, or even just a little naughty. The endorphins that make us feel good by doing something risqué is all part of life and healthy thing to be addicted to, until it overcomes you and becomes something you can’t live without. Women just like men can get addicted to this feeling, it’s the same as gambling or skydiving. It’s an addiction to a feeling not to the images. Some Christian groups believe that pornography should be taken off the net completely, but like everything you get addicted to you choose to use it. You can stop when you want to; it’s about personal will power not the internet’s dominance. Online adult pornography is a healthy release for people and women can be just as involved as men.
Check out this article Internet Porn: Worse than Crack?
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2004/11/65772

Marnie Ferree's article is titled Women and the Web: Cyber-sex activities and implications in Sexual & Relationship Therapy; Aug2003, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p385, 9p