Pornography, social media, and sexuality

This chapter examines dominant approaches in psychology in understanding the intersections of pornography, social media, and sexuality. A methodological and theoretical critique of the “negative effects paradigm” within psychology, and social science research more broadly, was developed, and this chapter provides a critical account of traditional research on pornography and foregrounds new approaches and areas of study, such as leisure frameworks, and the role of social networking sites in the consumption and sharing of sexually explicit material online. This chapter evaluates current policy interventions in the area and calls for greater attention to intersections of sexuality and the internet where consent is not present, such as with the collective practices known as image-based abuse. It also questions the value of criminal justice interventions and calls for greater attention to the use of education-based interventions to reduce harm, both in terms of research and policy.