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Anonymous Personal Sex Blogging

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


The Anonymous Personal Sex Blog
Definition A collection of anonymous personal writing, about sex A personal journal or combined with internet filtering
First Blog 1992 Fast development after 1999, with Blogger
Impact A powerful rhetorical tool A voice for women and the marginalized
Theory Behind Computer Mediated Communication; Deindividualization Theory; Online Disinhibition Effect Goffman’s Theory of Social Performance; Deconstructive Feminism; Code of Internet regulation
Fashion and Media A high-fashion influencer Inspires movies and TV

The Anonymous Personal Sex blog (APSB) as a collection of anonymous personal writing about sex, on the Internet, has exploded since the early blogs of the late 1990s. The APSB contains text and can contain pictures, videos and audio; and is dominated by the hegemonic discourse even though women, and feminists, and other marginal groups, may find a voice using APSBs. The APSB is a narrative, creating autobiographical memoirs and is, like in ancient Classical Era Greece,  a powerful rhetorical tool to amplify sexual expression. APSBs have resulted in books published by their authors, leading to TV series.

APSBs are Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) that illustrates the Deindividualization Theory (DT) in action; of which the Online Disinhibition Effect is active. These psychological theories all mean that APSBs, because of their anonymous nature, work to deindividualize their authors, although authors still identify with group norms. Further, APSB bloggers are more disinhibited and disclose more. Goffman’s Theory of Social Performance explains more how APSB bloggers create a performance front in blogging, to achieve audience goals. APSBs are dominated by societal hierarchical groups, even though they are still a powerful form of sexual expression, for feminist women and marginal groups. Sex workers and women looking for sexual expressiveness have used APSBs to achieve trans-national fame, write books, create TV series, and further the feminist sexual expression of women's needs. Marginalized women in China, Indonesia and Brazil, have used APSBs in a similar way, using rights of freedom of expression to fight feminist and racial oppression. Gays, trans-women and other LBGTQIT have culturally appropriated the Internet and used the APSB in countries globally, as a tool to explore their sexual identities. Men and women both disclose explicitly about casual sex on APSBs. The Anonymous Personal Sex Blog is considered art and a creator of high fashion, embodied in Hollywood movies such as The Devil Wears Prada and the TV series Sex and the City. Laws for APSBs consider Lessig's Code of Internet regulation, involving the four modalities of regulation: norms, laws, architecture and market. Local context, culture and history are important in considering Internet phenomena; including the APSB in Korea where bloggers morphed into cyberbullying to contribute to a high suicide rate of Korean celebrities.

Global cultural universals of the Anonymous Personal Sex Blog are: its forced compliance with the Internet controlled by a dominant group; and psychologically the APSB follows Deindividualization Theory where more self-disclosure is made from anonymity. In the immortal words of Shakespeare, first published in 1623[1], “All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players”, (Shakespeare, 1623/1810, p.34)[2]; APSB bloggers are like  Shakespearian performers in a global play, acting to achieve sexual expression. Further cross-cultural universals for APSBs include: the APSB as a powerful rhetorical device, narrating sexual expression to further the needs of women, marginal groups and oppressed groups, like LBGTQITs and blacks; the APSB as art and high fashion and reflected in books and movies. Cultural differences in the Anonymous Personal Sex Blog include Japanese female submissiveness in their APSBs, the revolution in China created by an APSB; the APSB attempts for Muslim women to express their sexuality in a male dominated Islamic culture; Brazilian feminist and black struggles, fighting oppression and violence with APSBs; and Korean APSBs, where blogs morphed into a cyberbully culture that contributed to a high suicide rate of celebrities.

Fig. 1. William Harvey Engraver. (Ca. 1839-4). As You Like It Full Page Introductory Illustration. In C. Knight (Ed.), The Pictorial Edition of the Works of Shakespeare, 2. Virtue & Co.

Definition and History[edit]

Definition[edit]

Anonymous Personal Sex Blog (APSB) is defined in defining a blog that is personal, containing  writing about sex; where authorship is anonymous, but attached in some way to the Internet website or account.[3][4] Blog, in full weblog or weblog, was a term first coined by Jorn Barger (1997), using it to describe his site RobertWisdom.com.[5][6] Blog and hence an APSB, is defined as a collection of ideas, thoughts and activities, written and published on the Internet.[3] It is further defined as frequently updated, reverse-chronological entries on a single webpage (Blood, 2000).[4][7] Blogs take the form of either: a filter-type, reporting news and Internet, external events; or of journal blogs, with original work; they often combine the two forms.[7] The personal journal form is the most common for APSB.[3] They use written text primarily but may have photos, audio and videos. They often have a forum or comment section creating dialogue.[7]

Historical Development[edit]

Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the Internet also, it can be argued, wrote the first blog in 1992, describing the form of the Internet and software needed.[6] By 1999, 23 blogs were listed on a website by Cameron, which was viewed by many with great interest.[5] Blogs were initially limited to those with programming skills.[7] Slashdot was another early blog, a clearing house for computer-technical-type’s news.[6] Pitas was the first free blog builder, then came Blogger. Blogs developed as link creators with short editor comments, adding non-mainstream content and context to big media. The introduction of Blogger and similar blog software in 1999, spurned the explosion of personal blogs, hence Anonymous Personal Sex Blogs were to follow.[5][7]

By 2004 blogging had increased to about 4 million blogs,[8] that is fast growth of the blogosphere, the online blog collectives.[6] The hailed democratisation nature of blogs was quickly found to be false, since blogs follow gender and power hierarchical structures. This is the discursive property of blogs.[8] By 2007, the blog tracking directory Technorati claimed tracking of 72.5 million blogs.[7] Sifry, 2006, the Technorati CEO, reported that 100,000 blogs were created daily and there were 1.3 million posting on blogs, daily. Sifry estimated 45% of blogs were abandoned.[9] Abandoned blogs could be tests or automatic features.

Only the wealthiest countries, with high Internet use, had similarly higher blogospheres. For example, Greece in 2010 still lagged behind EU counterparts, in Internet usage by all but the young. Younger age groups showed less lag behind other EU countries in terms of Internet usage.[10] Despite this, even countries like China created famous APSBs as early as 2005, when Muzi Mei, the pseudonym of Li Li shot to fame with an APSB, showing APSBs have ability for much self-expression.[4]

Blogs are now used globally for diverse writing and by marketers, politicians and corporations;[3][7] by the end of the 2000s, the APSBs were able to gain fame and even create book deals.[3]

APSBs that do not achieve fame, overlap with online fandom, the collectives of fan culture websites. History of online fandom is also theorized by Coppa, 2004,[11] as a continuation of offline fandom, with the added dimension of online interaction.[12][13]

Growth of Blogosphere: Content and Dialogue[edit]

Content of Anonymous Personal Sex Blogs are effected by many variables. Age, sex, genre, (filter-type blog or personal journal blog) and, create clusters of variables effecting blog content. Content effected by these variables include self disclosure, language and tone. Younger bloggers tend to be more negative, swear and reveal more about others on blogs; males swear more and are more aggressive. Personal bloggers have more self-disclosure. Level of anonymity or identifiability is less important.[14]

The APSB is an autobiographical memory written in memoirs, autobiographically and in diaries. These then have been narrativized and then APSB are rhetorical narratives. Classical history showed a strong use of rhetorical accounts in ancient Greece; Petrarch narrated  through poetic device, as did Dante and Chaucer. Now APSBs, as computer-based dialogue, are also started by a retrospective monologue; a current verbalizer of autobiographical memories, where narrative is not chronologically ordered.[15] Indeed APSBs have gained fame leading to books, showing APSBs are a distinctive and powerful rhetorical device.[16]

Fig. 2. Portrait statue: Sophocles [illustration]. In the tradition of the powerful Ancient Greek narrative.

APSBs lead to questions about authorship, whether it is in danger of loosing ownership. Blogs have shown authorship is maintained by the Internet. Since even APSBs are tied to some website or account giving ownership, making blogs transformational ways of authorship. Li Li was a Chinese APSB blogger, using the pseudonym Muzi Mei; together with Belle de Jour, a British APSB blogger, Muzi Mei gained fame from APSBs. They showed how much media speculation about authorship of an APSB can be created. They also illustrate that APSBs get larger outside the blog, where they reside in culture. The synchronous inverted narrative structure of blogs gives them a sense of real time and space; the involvement of audience dialogue through comments allows for less editing and a conversational style.[4]

Anisimowicz and O’Sullivan, 2016, surveyed men’s and women's sex differences in the use of Sexually Explicit Material (SEM), including fandom material, (created by fan communities). APSBs are a subset of SEM. They reported higher use of SEM for men, and the creation of SEM had a low percentage overall. SEM is found to be widely used and there are variations between sexes with context of use.[17] Other surveys, from 2008 reveal, 50% of Americans are forming digital content and 35% are creating what they  consider to be broadcasting content, i.e. blogs, podcasts, life casting, videoblogging and  social networking.[3] Pederson, 2008, surveyed 60 US and 60 UK bloggers, on use of blogroll, (where further reading recommendations are listed for bloggers). Results reported UK and US bloggers are more likely to refer to a US blogger, hence US bloggers are the dominant, more popular group.[7]

There was a controversial explosion in China with the release of Mu Zimei's (or Muzi Mei’s) APSB, writing about sex life on the Internet This shows development of a framework for APSB sexual dialogue online as discursive confrontational dialogue.[18]

An accumulative credibility test, scale or measure for new media, including APSBs was developed by Salah, 2016. It is a theoretical framework that needs empirical testing. The scale is based on assessing source, message, medium (including Internet), organization, user, (for the Internet, user experience), and culture.[19]

Sexual content of APSBs is revealed in a small scale qualitative Columbian study, with a questionnaire and literature survey, (including APSBs survey), that analyzed casual sex habits of adolescents and youth, in university. This Columbian study, together with the previous mentioned Chinese blogger analysis, builds a more culturally universal, anthropological picture of APSB content; analysis dealt with later in this section, from French, Muslim and Italian contexts further the cultural universality understanding of APSB content. 87% of men had casual sex; their casual sex activity was more frequent than women, who had a lower percentage having casual sex. Those that had sex tended to have it more often than less. Alcohol was the largest factor contributing to the sex, with parties and substance use and desire, other contributing factors. Emotions, feelings and love played a low role in the sexual activity.[20]

Famous, now not anonymous APSBs, content examples include:

  • • Belle de Jour, at Belle de Jour website, real name Brooke Magnanti, who inspired a UK television series, reporting on sex work.[21] Brooke Magnanti also wrote a book from the APSB, The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl, (2005).[22]
  • • Charly Lester Confessions of a Sex Addict, who became another UK celebrity, recounting sexual adventures, at Charly Lester website[23]
  • • Muzi Mei real name Li Li, the Chinese ASPB blogger[4]
  • • Abbey Lee's blog Girl with a One Track Mind, at Abbey Lee website; Lee also wrote a book from the APSB, Girl with a One Track Mind: Confessions of the Seductress Next Door, (2006)[22]
  • • Bitchy Jones Diary, at Bitchy Jones website, narrating BDSM, (Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism), and femdom, (female dominance), sexual fetish activities[24]
  • Less famous, APSBs content examples, still partly or wholly anonymous, include:
  • • The Whores of Yore, at The Whores of Yore website, on the history of sex work; also became a book[25]
  • • Camille, who has written much on the APSBs: Rue69; Rue 89; Sexpress, at Sexpress website; and L’Express blog. Very little is known about the author, only that he, or she, is Parisenne, in their thirties, not a journalist and has a day job. This blogger again wrote a book, Sex Libris. Dictionnaire du Rock, de L'histoire et du Sexe. The APSBs are full of curiosity, open-mindedness and a sense of humor. [26]
  • • An anonymous Muslim woman using the pseudonym Umm Muladhat with an APSB, A Halal Guide to Mind Blowing Sex, at Umm Muladhat website. She wrote a book, The Muslimah Sex Manual: A Halal Guide to Mind Blowing Sex. Her blog and book are about how Muslim woman can have “halal" sex, that is “mind-blowing” sex in a marriage.[27]
  • • The Tumblr APSB, “Do Tell", at “Do Tell" website. This is a crowd-sourced compilation of honest and very personal narratives about sex.[28]
  • • Blogueiras Feministas, at Blogueiras Feministas website, a Brazilian feminist blog involving feminist political activism and struggles in Brazil[29]
  • • Boquitas pintades, at Boquitas pintades website, an Argentinian LGBTQIA APSB[30]
  • • Vibin Vixen, at Vibin Vixen website [31]
  • • Gwen In Love, at Gwen In Love website [31]
  • • The Beautiful Kind, at The Beautiful Kind website[32]
  • • Slut Machine is the pseudonym for Tracie Egan-Morrissey, a New York woman with an APSB named “One D at a Time”. This blog embraces casual sex and includes sex adventures with graphic discussions of sex and orgasms.[33]

Non-famous, therefore truly anonymous, by definition, APSB content examples include: a university student APSB, “Sex Diaries” by university newspaper staff online, with 3 diarists. The blog has descriptions of sex incidents and general sex discussion. The Big Bad Wolf is a pseudonym used by one of the APSB authors;[34] In 2005, Myspace was a trendy place for computer nerds to blog analysis about their lives including sex [35]; Get Casual Hot Sex, at Get Casual Hot Sex website;[36] Mail & Guardian online, a South African newspaper, on its blog, Blogmark, had APSB posts;[37] Business Time I.R.L., at Business Time I.R.L. website;[38] APSB  Mamamia post about having a threesome with graphic descriptions of sex.[39]

ASPBs take on a new dimension in fandom, i.e. fan fiction collectives. These involve public curation and collective annotation of fan para-textual work, (work that narrativizes fan literature), including APSB blogging.[12][13] Barth, 2020, documents the OnlyFans social platform, where fans pay for celebrity nude photos and sex messages. German reality TV star, Georgina Fleur offers a sex message post with her photo. 4000 people in Germany have payment accounts with OnlyFans and out of 25 million total registered users, 500,000 post content on the site.[40]

Perniola in 2000 defined blogs, and hence APSBs as art since they are created as a thing that feels. This can be understood when conceptualizing that a thing that feels is, by definition, a cornerstone in the encounter between philosophical extremes and sexuality possible in present day; all as a result of the commodification of art in capitalist consumerism. [41]

The way APSB content develops is revealed in gender surveys that find women and the young, proportionally authored blogs, but discourse in wider society was dominated by white, educated males, hence the discursive nature of APSBs.[8] Later studies have shown the Internet has created “sex commons" to provide women opportunities and build communities, which increase sexual satisfaction through online writing, including APSBs.[42]

Psychological Considerations[edit]

A major psychological consideration for Anonymous Personal Sex Blogs is the Online Disinhibition Effect (ODE). This is described as when people are anonymous online, such as on APSBs, some people act out or disclose more often,  through factors including anonymity (Suler, 2004).[43] The acting out can be anti-social behaviours, hostile negative interactions such as trolling or flaming.[44] A survey study of 154 personal journals further found that visual anonymity leads to less self-disclosure, contrary to that expected by the ODE.  However discursive anonymity, that is sharing real name, did lead to less disclosure, holding true to ODE theory.[45]

Further considerations in the anonymity of APSBs can be understood in Deindividuation Theory (DT) in studying Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), (including APSBs, twitter and chat rooms). DT is a broader conception of the Online Disinhibition Effect (ODE). Reicher, Spears and Postmes made important contributions in this area. Their studies propose that traditional DT that considers the loss of self in group settings is not comprehensive, in considering personal identity only. Considering social identity, which determines how people behave in deindividualized situations, group membership does not automatically entail a loss of self. The researchers’ study concludes that anonymous CMC enhanced the salience of groups and associated norms. Further, group polarization or escalating expression of attitudes constant with in-group typical norms occurs under anonymous CMC conditions.[44] More, small- scale CMC research,[46] from a sample of university student population, built on Computer Mediated Emotional Support (CMES) theory. CMES theory was developed by Braithwaite, Waldron and Finn (1999).[47] CMES is about CMC that offers communication in a way to have emotional qualities. CMES then describes a quality of APSBs. In the small-scale study the CMC, although anonymous, allowed for gender attribution, with username or text as an identifier. Considering Highly Person-Centered (HPC) versus Low Person-Centered (LPC) messages, the findings were that females preferred male HPC messages and males preferred male HPC messages, as well.[46] These gender findings then can be hypothesized as similar for APSBs.

Further international psychological research from Taiwan, looks at the electronic bulletin board system (BBS) in a university, which can be considered an APSB. The research considered the “nice guy” or “good people” culture of BBS. This culture was analyzing in terms of three areas: symbols strategy creation; narrative script; and gender stereotypes and connotations. Findings were that males entered BBS culture from bad experiences or from their male role being suppressed by male dominance, and from unrequited love. This led to the emergence of male feminity in BBS and to an emergence of narrative online, where community is found. Some males can exhibit misogyny and the BBS group enables male sexuality exploration to be opened. BBS use is further explained from being due to society gender imbalance, where women are asserting themselves from sexism, but then males are thought of negatively when asserting themselves to counter female assertiveness.[48] Further research has shown that globally, APSBs are a way for confessional disclosure and they have become highly marketable with the introduction of blog books from, APSB. These become a big part of society, offering a distinctive and powerful rhetorical device. APSBs and the books resulting from them, are a way to authenticate the experience of diarists, cross- culturally.[16] Further, these successful APSBs have created the “sex commons"[42] to provide women great opportunities for expression, vastly different then from male Taiwanese BBS culture.

Kanani and Mohammadzadeh, 2018,[49] made an Iranian study of anonymous chat and APSBs. This, together with the previous mentioned Taiwanese research, helps to build a more culturally universal, anthropological picture of APSB psychological considerations. Common, factors effecting CMC here are involved in two sets: identity attributes; and environmental features, both virtual and real. To explain the relationship between these factors in anonymity, Goffman's Theory of Social Performance[50] is used. This theory looks at people involved in performance as presenting a   social front, which is divided into environmental and personal, i.e. identity attributes. These identity attributes are either offline or online, in which case they are considered secret consumption, (anonymous use).  372 student's online use was analysed. Findings included correlations implying younger males and those that are less established in society, use anonymity more. Internet users are then trying to reproduce an offline self, online but avoid the limitations and traditions of sex communication in Iranian society.

Fig. 3. John Thomson. (1869). a Manchu lady having her face painted , Beijing [photograph]. A specific cultural example of social performance in action.

Cyber-psychology is an emerging field. Developmental psychology concerning the Internet reveals the strong role cyberspace and so APSBs play in shaping human life involving sexuality, throughout the life span.[51] Cyberspace and APSBs provides unique anonymity, disembodiment and dislocation, creating new freedoms for sexual expression but also new obligations.[52]

Sociological and Cultural; Fashion and Media Examination[edit]

In considering the general sociological and cultural aspects of Anonymous Personal Sex Blogs, the direct implications of use are sometimes extreme and it is advised to use APSBs with caution. Blogs may be read by employers, employees, coworkers, friends and family. Jessica Cutler, with the blog  The Washingtonienne publicised her sex with many on Capitol Hill. She talked of sex with many men, and that it was fueled by expensive gifts. She lost her job and privacy but got a book deal. It is recommended that discernment should be used when creating APSBs. Care should be taken in the revealing of personal information or fictitious narratives that could damage the author or others, when publicized. It should be assumed that anyone will be able to access the APSB.[3] Considering four APSBs mentioned previously in this article, in Growth of Blogosphere: Content and Dialogue, the author of the APSB The Beautiful Kind got fired from her job;[32] the author of Vibin Vixen and Gwen, the pseudonym for Gwen In Love, both keep their identities secret for professional reasons; [31] Tracie Egan-Morrissey using the pseudonym Slut Machine, with the APSB, “One D at a Time” uses the blog to express the embracing of casual sex and fearless feminism, where she proudly does not succumb to the public shaming of promiscuous women.[33]

The unique anonymity, disembodiment and dislocation created by APSB cyberspace provides new freedoms for sexual expression and new obligations.[52] APSB blogging is a conversational activity that seeks to create blogging communities, while always guarding for spam, excess advertising and pornography. Few earn a living  from blogs; some get revenue from advertising that they allow on their blogs; other blogs are corporate or business owned.[6] ASPBs can be very political[3] and provide media coverage but do not replace media, instead complementing it.[6] A Slovenian study of blogs as a marketing tool in the tourism industry, although not directly referencing APSBs, is an analogous example of how business and industry can be suited to blog marketing; further a cross-cultural, anthropological perspective is added. The blog for tourism business allows for constant updates, creation of a brand through blog dialogue and insights into the future needs of consumers. For marketability these blogs should be humorous, conversational and involve storytelling.[53] Now considering APSBs, they are a way for confessional disclosure and then books, resulting from the ASPB diaries, are a way to authenticate the experience of diarists. They are cross-cultural, a distinctive and powerful rhetorical device and have become highly marketable.[16]

Feminism has been enabled widely from the APSB. A semantics study of high-class prostitution APSBs revealed APSBs allow women unique opportunities for absolute self-disclosure and self-expression.[54] “Do Tell”, mentioned in the previous section on Content, in this article, is a sex confessional and considered by a Glamour magazine journalist as absolutely riveting. This APSB enables women worldwide to freely share sex experiences.[28] Adding in some global perspective, to help create anthropological cultural universals for feminism with APSBs, Chinese feminism is a key topic. Farrer, 2007, researches the intense China politics and controversial explosion created with the release of Mu Zimei’s (or Muzi Mei’s) APSB. Li Li is the real name of this blogger who sparked heated debate about freedom of expression and speech, rights on the Internet, natural rights, woman’s rights, rights of responsibility, community responsibility, sexual rights and sexuality. A research framework for sexual dialogue online is developed as discursive confrontational dialogue, as used with all sexual politics analysis on the Internet. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did not allow Mu Zimei to publish a book on the APSB. However, Li Yinhe, a CCP member was a key supporter of Mu Zimei. In this research, rights of freedom of expression were considered key rights of Mu Zumei, more primary than rights of sexual expression.[18]

Deeper APSB feminist perspective is provided from research into the APSB Belle de Jour. This blog and the book from it, drew trans-national attention. They reveal the mystery, demystification and stigma of women reporting on sex work; further challenges are made to myths on what constitutes reality and fantasy.[21] Attwood, 2009,[22] provides key research here, in study of both Belle de Jour and the APSB by Abby Lee, Girl with a One Track Mind. Here feminist sociology theory is explored, revealing that women are empowered by APSB blogging. The blogging opened women's expressive channels, where they can talk about sexual freedom and then this freedom is encouraged. Findings showed there remains some level of objectification and stereotyping. APSBs have become a dominant feminist channel. Sex and the City, the popular TV show is cited as a key work, showcasing these feminist achievements often rooted in APSBs. Women’s expression online had gained the popularity to be perceived as sexiness. Then a more mundane but meaningful use of online writing, is theorized as APSBs and online writing developing authenticity in adventures in sexual pleasure, for women.

More cultural universals can be seen from research into APSBs by gay men in India. A proliferation of the Internet and digital technologies throughout India has re-shaped the social roles of the Internet and lead to gay men, as a marginalized and stigmatized group, becoming more organized. The ethnographic use of Internet platforms, such as APSBs, is key. Gay men's use of visuals and text, analyzed in APSBs and websites used by, and made by gay men on the Internet, creates the ability for gay men to culturally appropriate Internet spaces. This creates a “male gaze” based on men’s sexual desires, in the context of India being highly homophobic and having strong traditional beliefs rooted in colonial anti-sodomy laws.[55]

Studies of trans-women have been done using the casual dating ap., Grindr, which has APSB qualities, involving interview research. This revealed trans-women are conflicted, wanting on the one hand to be socially accepted as women, using non-sexual, moral identifications; and on the other hand, wanting to express ambiguity and sexuality, the sexuality expression being more desired. Ambivalent relations with trans-sex discourse are constructed, and APSB communication on Grindr was found to be good for self-expression and for trans- women coming out. This is a good argument against anti-sexualisation advocacy.[56] Other surveys of a blog of a trans-woman and other trans-women's literature concur that feelings and emotionality involved with wider social discourse are most important, in the identification and development of trans life. The blog emphasised feelings the most, compared to the other forms of literature studied; an analogy that can be extended to APSBs as valuable for expressing feelings.[57]

Males have been researched to reveal the similar ability of APSBs to lead to narrative online and the emergence of community. This research has been previous discussed in the Psychological Considerations section. The research was about the Taiwanese university BBS electronic bulletin board system in university, involving “nice guy” or “good people” culture. This is an example of  society gender imbalance struggles, where males are now asserting themselves partly in reaction to women asserting themselves in fighting from sexism.[48] An APSB by a male prostitute named, as clients, politicians, African celebrities, a rugby star and a prominent dominee (etymology, from Afrikaans and Dutch, meaning a church minister). This APSB begs the question whether legal action should be taken in this case or if freedom of expression rights should be upheld.[58]

Male and female groups working together in APSBs are researched in another previously mentioned study in the Growth of Blogosphere: Content and Dialogue section. This, together with the Taiwanese and South African studies, adds more cross-cultural perspective. Here the casual sex habits of Columbian university students revealed men document more promiscuity than women, in APSBs. Alcohol and substance use rather than emotions, feelings and love, contributed to the promiscuity.[20]

Italian fashion research shows how blogs, including APSBs create fashion trends. Fashion discourse, between fiction and reality, has moved from traditional mainstream media to online, including blogs. Key fashion fiction works in movies and television such as The Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City created social commentary material online; then online narratives are created on APSBs to create fashion.[59]

A Romania study reveals feminism in action, speaking through fashion APSBs and this then turning into political activism. Feminist theory is considered in two parts, fighting discrimination in the economic system and creating identity for women. The ambivalent entry of feminism into mainstream media fights discrimination by deconstructing economic distribution systems. Free speech is demonstrated to be lacking in the mislabelled public space, where there is only freedom for the elite males. Political feminist activism involves the assertion of straight feminism, i.e. feminism that is partially accepted; assertions being made partly through APSBs, to further deconstructive feminism, feminism that works to correct economic distribution imbalance.[60] A further cross-cultural example of this feminist activism in APSBs is made by Umm Muladhat, a pseudonym for the APSB, A Halal Guide to Mind Blowing Sex, who also wrote a book from the blog. This is activism for Muslim women having halal sex, i.e. “mind-blowing sex” in a marriage, where it is argued the husband is obligated to satisfy their wife.[27]

The APSB gives voice to marginalized activities. An example is the APSB about a BDSM femdom, Bitchy Jones Diary. This APSB works against mainstream society that is trying to denounce their tastes and different practices, which society attempts to deem worthless or irrelevant.[24]

In considering APSBs in fan culture the book New Essays Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet is key.[12][13] The formation of fan fiction and fan APSBs is described using Derecho’s Archontic Literature Theory, theorizing that fan literature is being continually recreated and reinterpreted through fans, leading to public curation and collective annotation. Part 4 of the book studies fan para-textual work, including in APSBs, using Coppa's model of fan para-textual work as performances.[11] In this model, work results in conveying a performance body, materializing through, and between the fan collectives. The history of online fandom and fan APSBs are also theorized by Coppa as a continuation of offline fandom, with the added dimension of online interaction. OnlyFans the social platform, where fans pay for celebrity nude photos and sex messages, is a significant creator in fan collectives, and so an important contributor to fan APSBs. OnlyFans has 25 million registered users, 500,000 of them posting content.[40]

An important classification of blogs and APSBs as art is made by Perniola in 2000.[41] Here art, defined as created as a thing that feels, for example APSBs, is a cornerstone in the encounter between philosophical extremes and sexuality, possible in present day. Turning objects such as APSBs into art is all a result of the commodification of art in capitalist consumerism, after post-modernism and other contemporary art movements. Art exhibits have become mass consumer exhibits, leading to the thing, the object, that feels, as art. Political philosopher, Kant's philosophy of marriage to the thing that feels is built on. Here there is no ownership of oneself since human endeavour is through union with the thing that feels and this end is truly virtuous. Taking ASPBs as art further, society has characterized the neutral thing that feels as fetish, which is opposite to the concept of idolatry. Fetish is arbitrary, independent and autonomous and has sex appeal. Hence APSBs can also be categorized as fetish.[61] Philosophical cybersex is introduced as a phenomenon of APSBs. It is a neutral sex term to describe sex in cyberspace separate from real sex and further distanced from reality, than virtual sex.[62]

Despite the ability of APSBs to give voice for marginal groups they also have a discursive property of maintaining dominant society groups. Women and the young proportionally author APSBs, but discourse of the blogs in wider society is dominated by white, educated males. Hence the hailed democratisation of blogs is false and blogs follow gender and power hierarchical structures.[8] APSBs do provide many useful infrastructures for experiments with sexual expression and they build needed sexual communities, producing multiplicities and richness. However, there are many misconceptions and controversies created from APSBs, creating moral panics in society that are, in turn, useful to mobilize.[63] APSBs have created “sex commons", to provide women opportunities to increase sexual satisfaction through online writing, decreasing shame and building community. However, this conflicts with the increasing medicalization of sex and corporate control.[42]

Some of this political fight that APSBs help with is researched in a cross-cultural study from Brazil. The feminist blogs studied are the Feminist Bloggers and The Black Bloggers. These blogs mobilize, expand, protest for, and inform about, feminist and black struggles in Brazil. They fight against oppression and violence and are about gender, race, inclusion and education. Findings from the blog review reveal a part of feminism that has been ignored in Brazil until the last 10 years; the black racial component has been ignored completely in Brazil.[29]

Research into the law governing APSBs has been done by an Internet literature survey that explored Lessig’s four modalities of internet regulation, norms, law, architecture and market.[64] Findings of the study are that norms widely shape regulations, laws are not as developed and architecture further marginalized marginal groups including sex workers and LGBTQIA.[65] After Lessig (2009) developed the Code of Internet based on the four modalities it became a key scale for assessing Internet law, including for APSBs. This established that the Internet is more controlled than real space and that norms should strive to free Internet space from control.[64]

Doobo, 2014,[66] did key research on Korean law applied to blogs like APSBs, where cyberbullying occurring on blogs is a problem. This research dealt with the issue of high suicide rate in Korea connected to blogging. The suicide of actress Choi Jin-Sil and of model Daul Kim have been linked to cyberbullying and harassment of the celebrities.[67] The cyberbullying of musician Tablo is researched here. Cyberbullying is a result of the hegemonic discourse of Internet shaped from many social factors: internet participation; perpetuation of hate crimes; globalization; nationalism; media; fashion; politics; military service; and Korean history and the vital importance of education. An Internet literature review found the intrinsic properties of the Internet are not understood from grand concepts or generalizations; nor from concepts of progress and inevitability. Rather, discontinuity, plurality and contingency can be used to understand the Internet. This means studying the more nuanced Internet practices, including APSBs, in local and historic contexts. In Korea bloggers and APSBs morphed into a bully culture. Korean Internet norms[65] should be ones that encourage the embracing of co-existence and tolerance.

Global Differences and Anthropological Universals[edit]

Valuable anthropological cross-cultural universals of Anonymous Personal Sex Blogs can be found from study of many cultures and continents. A literature review and survey of young Japanese women’s anonymous personal blogs, i.e. with qualities close to APSBs, revealed a big gender inequality. Despite the freedom of self expression allowed for by anonymous blogs, the blogs continued patterns of Japanese women’s utterances of being doubtful and trivializing. In Japan, men’s speech is characterised by being assertive and decisive. The young women used male gender specific and male dominance words more often. Middle-aged women’s speech in Japan is even more submissive, reflecting values from the mid-20th century.[68] Previous sections of this article have documented other international studies on content and psychological considerations. These include the study of the South African blog, Mail & Guardian online's  Blogmark. There is an absence of research on blogs in Africa, meaning many APSBs may be undocumented. The Survey of Blogmark, with questionnaires and interviews, revealed that there is an active set of public sphericules, with many varied topics including APSBs.[37] Then there is the research in Greece and Iran, revealing women and older age groups use APSBs less.[10][49] In Greece, groups lagging behind wealthier EU countries in terms of use of the Internet and APSBs are: women; rural populations; and most age groups except for youth and close-to-retirement age groups. In 2010, only 37% of women were online versus 52% of males online. Nine out of ten in the 16-24 age group used the Internet. The 55-64 age group with 33.9% reading blogs was similar to the young, 16-24 age group at 37% reading blogs.[10] In Iran research showed similar patterns for university Internet APSBs as being used more by younger, less established male students. Here Goffman’s Theory of Social Performance[50] was used to explain young people using APSBs to perform anonymously and avoid the limitations and traditions of sex communication in Iranian society.[49]

Fig. 4. Welcome Collection. Two Japanese women sitting by a trough used for grinding corn. Watercolour [painting]. Japanese female submissiveness has roots in division of labour.

Internationally the APSB has been shown, in previous sections of this article, to be a powerful tool for marketing and for women's feminist sexual expression and empowerment.[53][4][18] The Slovenian study revealed how blogs can be used successfully for marketing in the tourism industry, helping with branding, consumer knowledge and updates.[53] In China and the UK, women's APSBs have gained trans-national fame. In China the APSB blogger Mu Zimei was considered, in research, to have rights under freedom of expression rather than sexual expression. Brooke Magnanti, the real name of the Belle de Jour APSB blogger, created a TV series from her APSB and showed how APSBs challenge the myths on what constitutes reality and fantasy.[4][18][21] A Javanese female feminist human rights activist, Firliana Purwanti, dubbed “The Orgasm Lady", started an APSB and then shot to fame in 2010 with the book The O Project. Her childhood in Javanese Islamic tradition taught her to be a good girl, she had no sex education in school and attended religious education classes. Despite this strict background Purwanti became a successful activist for women’s rights to happiness and orgasms.[69]

Internationally marginal groups have been successful at creating online communities with APSBs; much of this research has again been covered in previous sections of this article. Gays in India have used the Internet ethnographically to culturally appropriate it; they create “male gaze” based on men's sexual desires, despite India being highly homophobic and having traditions held from colonial anti-sodomy laws.[55] An Argentinian qualitative study of 5095 blog posts for two LGBTTIQ blogs  Tod@s  and Boquitas pintades,  addresses blog territorial disputes, for monographic Argentinian news blogs. Findings showed the assertion of gender differences are made and conflict, through online argument, occurs. This is in the form of moral and religious debate over demarcating blog spaces and regarding identity and belonging.[30] A Columbian study of university students revealed APSBs about men and women working together, narrating that 87% of men had casual sex. Less women had casual sex and alcohol and substance use contributed most to casual sex; while emotions, feelings and love played a low role in contributing to the sex.[20] In Taiwan research on the APSBs by male university students who were members of the “nice guy” culture showed that males turned to this culture from bad experiences. APSBs created online narrative and community that addressed societal gender imbalances from women asserting themselves.[48]

In considering how, cross-culturally, APSBs address fashion and become more political in the area of sexuality, previous sections of this article showed much research. Italian research at the centre of the fashion industry showed that APSBs with online narratives create a discourse between fiction and reality, and between movies such as The Devil Wears Prada, television and the APSBs.[59] The Italian art philosopher Perniola added that, in present times, APSBs are art and fetish since art is created as a thing that feels, e.g. ASPBs, a  cornerstone in the encounter between philosophical extremes and sexuality. [41] Umm Muladhat, the anonymous Muslim woman who wrote an APSB, showed strong feminist activism in writing about the husband being obligated to give their Muslim wife “mind-blowing” sex.[27] Camille is the pseudonym for a very Parisienne style APSB blogger, who managed to remain anonymous even after publishing a book. This author's APSBs are full of curiosity driven, open-mindedness and a sense of humor. [26] A South African APSB by a male prostitute, revealing prominent and famous clients, raises questions legally and about free speech.[58]

Further, more deeply political APSB use in the cross-cultural context, covered previously, are from Brazil and Korea. In Brazil feminist and black bloggers use APSBs to attempt to fight against oppression and violence. The blogs mobilize, protest, inform and educate about gender, race and inclusion.[29] In Korea[66] cyberbullying, including bullying of celebrities, in part from APSBs, has contributed to a high suicide rate. Research has shown the hegemonic discourse of the Internet is due to many social factors. The internet is best understood through concepts of discontinuity, plurality and contingency, to study the more nuanced internet practices and in studying local and historic context. Korea is a case where bloggers morphed into bully culture and Koreans should be encouraged to embrace norms[65] of co-existence and tolerance.

Fig. 5. Welcome Collection. young woman wearing a plain robe and a tasselled hat , standing in front of a painted screen. Photograph, ca. 1900. Korean traditions that are the background for Korean internet culture.

Future Developments     [edit]

Predictions of the future for the Anonymous Personal Sex Blogs include the case where there is an amalgamation of all media forms, (i.e. TV, Radio, Satellite, Cinema and Music), with the Internet. Then blogs and APSBs, with their human and personal quality, may become the gatekeepers of all media.[6] Then there is the more distant prediction where blogs may live on through machine-stored consciousness.  This immortal perpetuation of humanity was discussed by Pohl, the great science fiction writer, in his later science fiction, including a collaboration with Arthur C. Clarke. Page, 2015, in his book about Pohl, also introduces the idea of machine-stored consciousness; referring to this consciousness being similar to how Pohl’s blog, The Way the Future Blogs, is continued posthumously, after Pohl's death, by his wife Elizabeth Anne Hull.[70] Perniola, 2000, in theorizing that art is created as a thing that feels, e.g. APSBs, introduces philosophical cybersex. This cybersex includes, by definition APSBs, and is sex in cyberspace separate from real sex and further distanced from reality than virtual sex. Perniola continues with discussion of future cyborgs providing neutral sex without organs, similar to machine stored consciousness; this is then the Anonymous Personal Sex Blogs becoming cyborgs and having sex with each other.[62]

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ Bevington 2020.
  2. ↑ Shakespeare 1810, p. 34.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Lovell 2008, p. 5.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Chesher 2005, pp. 20-21.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Blood 2000.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Dennis 2019.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Pedersen 2008.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Herring et al. 2004.
  9. ↑ Sifry 2006.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Kathimerini 2010.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Coppa 2014, pp. 218-237.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Hellekson & Busse 2006.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Le 2008.
  14. ↑ Fullwood et al. 2012, pp. 345-355.
  15. ↑ Tivyaeva 2017, pp. 57-38.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Cardell 2014.
  17. ↑ Anisimowicz & O’Sullivan 2016, pp. 823-833.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Farrer 2007, pp. 10-44.
  19. ↑ Salah 2016, pp. 1351-1364.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Sarquis & Arredondo 2018.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Ferreday 2010, pp. 272-293.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Attwood 2009, pp. 5-20.
  23. ↑ Lester 2015.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Handyside 2011, pp. 41-53.
  25. ↑ Lister 2020.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Agron 2013.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Revesz 2017.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Amey 2013.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Freitas 2018, pp. 148-180.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Pérez-Riedel 2018, pp. 125-137.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Brennan 2010a.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Brennan 2010b.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Davis 2010, p. 3.
  34. ↑ The Big Bad Wolf. 237 Reasons 2007, p. A10.
  35. ↑ Cairney 2005, p. 7.
  36. ↑ Get Casual Hot Sex 2020.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Sibanda 2006.
  38. ↑ Business Time I.R.L. 2011.
  39. ↑ Cleary 2021.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Barth 2020.
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 Perniola 2000a.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 Wood 2008, pp. 480-487.
  43. ↑ Suler 2004, pp. 321-326.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Douglas 2019.
  45. ↑ Hollenbaugh & Everett 2013, pp. 283-302.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Spottswood et al. 2013, pp. 295-316.
  47. ↑ Braithwaite, Waldron & Finn 1999, pp. 123-151.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 Chengen 2008.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 Kanani & Mohammadzadeh 2018, pp. 70-93.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 Kivisto 2020.
  51. ↑ Harley, Morgan & Frith 2018a.
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Harley, Morgan & Frith 2018b, pp. 105-133.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 53.2 Galic 2021.
  54. ↑ Kozhan 2011, pp. 275-278.
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Mukherjee & Pradhan 2019, pp. 15-23.
  56. ↑ Lloyd & Finn 2017, pp. 158-169.
  57. ↑ Frost 2015, pp. 28-35.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 Mngomezula 2007, pp. 41-42.
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 Mascio 2009, pp. 204-206.
  60. ↑ Soulages & Irimescu 2018, pp. 25-39.
  61. ↑ Perniola 2000b, pp. 53-65.
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 Perniola 2000c, pp. 28-37.
  63. ↑ Tiidenburg & Nagel 2017.
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 Lessig 2009.
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 65.2 Michaelsen 2019.
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 Doobo 2014, pp. 479-504.
  67. ↑ Hilton 2009.
  68. ↑ Spiechowicz 2015, pp. 43-62.
  69. ↑ Arshad 2016.
  70. ↑ Page 2015, p. 2.

References  [edit]

Publications[edit]

  • Cardell, K. (2014). Dear World: Contemporary uses of the Diary. University of Wisconsin Press.
  • Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays. (2014). (K. Busse, Ed.). McFarland.
  • Harley, D., Morgan, J., Frith, H. (2018). Cyberpsychology as Everyday Digital Experience across the Lifespan. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Kivisto, P. (2020). Social Theory: Roots & Branches. (6). Oxford University Press.
  • Lessig, L. (2009). Code: And Other Laws of Cyberspace. (large print).
  • Lister, K. (2020). A Curious History of Sex. Unbound Publishing.
  • Perniola, M. (2004). Sex Appeal of the Inorganic. Continuum.
  • Shakespeare, W. (1810). Act II, Scene 7. In As You Like It: A Comedy (p. 34). S Gosnell. (Original work published 1623).
  • Tiidenberg, K., Nagel, E. (2020). Sex and Social Media. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Filmography and Television[edit]

See Also[edit]

External Links[edit]


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