Project

Moral orderings in talk about online sexual reputations: A qualitative study into digital youth cultures' struggles for a 'good' online reputation related to sexual, gendered, ethnic and religious identity intersections in Flanders

Code
G020317N
Duration
01 January 2017 → 31 December 2020
Funding
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Other biological sciences
    • Other natural sciences
Keywords
online reputation
 
Project description

In young people’ everyday life-worlds, online sexual reputations are becoming increasingly important to consider; digital technologies such as smartphone camera’ and social media can capture and distribute intimate and sexual experiences, often beyond the user’ control. Therefore, media literacy experts and organisations advise young people to carefully ‘anage’online reputations by warning for taking ‘exy’ or (semi-)nude pictures, etc.; a loss of online sexual reputation can lead to harming the mental well-being of the person involved. This project wants to enquire (1) what it means when the notion of ‘eputation’is becoming more media-related than before in current youth cultures, (2) how these media-related reputations are introducing particular sexual politics, and (3) how society currently responds to these changing notions of sexual reputation. This project aims to critically explore the underlying moral values and dichotomies between ‘ood’and ‘ad’online sexual reputations in youth cultures, mainly from an ethical concern with young people’ online sexual well-beings. It will do so from particular identity positions such as gendered, sexual, ethnic and religious intersections. The project will use a qualitative research design in which it will provide young people with a voice to reflect on notions and experiences of online sexual reputations, while it will also explore wider societal discourses in which young people’ online sexual reputation are debated.