Cyber Sex, No Longer A Fantasy Of The Mind

Over the past few years, very few technological advancements have had the potential to revolutionize diverse areas such as education, health, business, entertainment and so on. The Internet has indeed made the world a smaller place. However, with increased use of the Internet, there has been a parallel increase in the incidence of the so-called cyber crimes. The Internet has of late become a playground that allows people to experiment with their sexuality. Cyber sex is becoming increasing common among heterosexual men, who dare to venture into homosexual relationships. Such things had remained a fantasy for the common man, some decades ago.

The above fact has been brought to focus by a Sweden based study entitled 'Typing, Doing and Being-A Study of Men Who Have Sex with Men and Sexuality on the Internet'. The study is a dissertation from the Malmö University College, located in Sweden. Different aspects related to Internet and sexuality, action and fantasy, sexual experience and experimentation, changing sexual culture and beliefs are some of the topics dealt with in the dissertation.

It has been found that Internet provides an easy access to reach people. It would not be possible to reach out to a diverse population using traditional methods. Furthermore, heterosexual men who have sex withy other men tend to be younger and reside in rural communities or small towns. In addition, they are less educated and are more inclined to bisexual concepts. The author of the paper, Michael W. Ross, has rightly remarked the Internet to be an 'erotic oasis'.

The study participants were required to answer a questionnaire (internet examination) regarding sexuality. Alarmingly, 10% of the interviewed heterosexual men admitted to having sex with other men, through the Internet.

It has been found that men were more likely to interrupt their answering of questions, much earlier than women. Other factors that played a crucial role in cyber crime indulgence were the speed of the Internet connection and sexual orientation. The phenomenon of trying to present a false image on the Internet commonly referred to, as 'misrepresentation' is also responsible for the above-mentioned trend.

'The findings show that we reach people via the Internet that we would never, or only with difficulty, have reached in traditional ways. This makes Internet interventions an important tool in health education. We can also characterize what people use the Internet for sexual purposes,' concluded Michael W. Ross.